I Now Pronounce You
by Neuropsych
Summary: It's time for a wedding... and a honeymoon. But what happens when Iron meets Vibranium?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N So! Wedding story and the honeymoon story combined I believe. It has the potential to be incredibly long, this way, but I've done long ones before so hopefully it'll be able to keep your interest. Remember to feel free to let me know (in reviews or in PMs) if there is a particular scene you're dying to see written out. If it's something that will fit the story and the flow, I'm willing to try it. That said, thanks in advance for reviews and comments and here we go!_

**I Now Pronounce you...**

"Hey, Sexy, what are you wearing?"

Tony Stark had been trying to pretend that he wasn't eavesdropping on the video call that was going on next to him at the table, but he couldn't help but roll his eyes and was forced to stop from smiling. He didn't look up from the tablet that he was using, but he was obviously not the only one to find the opening amusing.

_"They do not really say that there, do they?"_ Shuri asked, smiling.

Peter shrugged.

"I've seen it in the movies, so they _must_, right?"

"_I have seen talking dinosaurs in movies, also,_" she pointed out.

"True. What are you up to?"

_"Making a list of what to bring."_ She turned toward someone off screen, and Peter and Tony both heard a deep voice, so they knew she was most likely listening to a man. She nodded and turned back to Peter. _"T'Challa wants to know what the weather is like. We have looked at the forecast, but even in Wakanda we know that weather people get paid the same if they are right or wrong."_

"Tell him it's been sunny all week," Peter replied.

"Supposed to rain _Thursday_," Stark said without looking up. "They might want to bring jackets – just in case."

Shuri smiled before Peter could relay the message.

_"I heard. Is that Tony?"_

"Yeah."

_"Is he nervous?"_

"He says he isn't," Peter said without asking. He'd heard people asking him the question all week, and they all received the same response. "We have our rehearsal tomorrow, so everyone will make sure they don't mess up when it comes to the real thing."

_"I wish I could be there to see it."_

"You'll be at the _wedding_," Peter said, grinning at the thought of having her back in the compound for a few days. "That'll be even better."

_"I am excited. How did you do on your finals? I know you were concerned about them."_

"I did okay. Considering the amount of days I missed this year, I'm surprised the teachers didn't all want to hold me back."

Tony chose that moment to lift his gaze from what he was doing and stuck his head in front of Peter's so he could see Shuri.

"He did _great_," he told the girl, clearly proud. "All As – even in PE. _Plus_ another academic decathlon trophy for the school."

Shuri smiled at Tony – and at Peter's blush as the boy tried to move his father out of the screen, unsuccessfully, since Stark had already given up the pretense of not paying attention to the call, or the conversation.

_"What is PE?"_ she asked.

"_Physical Education_," Peter explained, rolling his eyes with a grin as his hand went to Tony's face and he tried to move him.

"It's sit ups and pushups and running laps around the gym," Tony added.

_"You do that in school?_" she asked, confused.

"Yeah." Peter managed to get Tony moved – only because Stark let him; the boy never would have overpowered him for something like that. "Next year I get to choose what activity it is, though. Like swim team, or bowling, or I think archery is an option."

_"I imagine that would be fun."_

"It will beat running," he agreed. "When are you guys going to be here?"

_"Wednesday evening. Your time."_

"Great."

He was excited and didn't bother to hide it. Of course, the last time she'd been at the compound, he'd been injured and in no condition to play host. This time he was feeling good and was out of school, so he'd have all the time they wanted to hang out and he was looking forward to it.

_"I am bringing you a surprise,"_ she told him with a mischievous smile.

"What is it?"

Now it was T'Challa who stuck his head into the video call, his young face amused, as well.

_"Does the word surprise mean something different in America, Peter?"_ the king of Wakanda asked the boy. _"If she tells you what it is she is bringing, then it will no longer be a surprise."_

Peter wasn't intimidated. True, T'Challa was a king, but the boy hung out with superheroes and legends. Besides, T'Challa was a good guy, and Peter had spoken to him on a few occasions, now. He shrugged, trying to look innocent.

"If she tells me, then I don't have to wait until Wednesday to find out."

_"Anticipation is good for the soul,_" Shuri said, also trying to use her hand to move her brother's face out of the call.

"Is that a _Wakandan_ saying?" Tony asked, curiously.

_"It was in a fortune cookie."_

Peter laughed, while Stark rolled his eyes, equally amused.

"I'll see you Wednesday," the boy told her.

"_Yes_." She smiled, again. _"Call me and let me know how the rehearsal went."_

"I will."

_"Good-bye my love."_

"My heart will be empty until I see you, again," Peter replied, grinning, as he ended the call.

Stark shook his head.

"You two think you're _funny_, don't you?"

The boy gave him an innocent look, his brown eyes wide and guileless. It didn't fool Tony for an instant.

"_What_? Can I help it that it was love at first sight? That she's my _Juliet_? My-"

"My _ass_," Tony interrupted, shaking his head with a smile. "You just do that to annoy T'Challa and me. And don't even _pretend_ that you don't – because we're not _dumb_. We see right through you."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Tony," Peter assured him, putting his phone in his pocket.

His grin said otherwise, of course.

"You _watch_ yourself, young man," Stark warned him, getting up and pointing the hand that was holding the tablet at him. "You two keep that up and T'Challa's going to have guards on her room – and on her. Maybe even on _you_."

Peter shook his head.

"She wouldn't let him do that. Besides, I'm a _ninja_. I can sneak past a guard or two, if I need to."

"Some ninja," Tony said, shaking his head. "I happen to know that you fell into the river yesterday."

"The bank was muddy. I slipped."

"Uh huh."

"Ask Ned."

"I don't need to. I have the _video footage_." He reached out and ruffled Peter's hair, his expression going from amused to serious. "I love you."

Peter smiled, his own expression turning happy. He loved being told that, and Tony _knew_ it. And said it all the time without any self-consciousness about saying it. Even _more_, lately, since he told Peter that he wasn't going to see him for two weeks after the wedding, so he wanted to make sure the boy didn't forget while he was gone.

It never got old to Peter.

"I love you, too," he said, sincerely.

"Good. Let's go bother Pepper."


	2. Chapter 2

Pepper was in their quarters. Dressed casually, she was sitting at a sofa with her laptop and a cup of coffee when they walked in.

"You're not still _working_, are you?" Tony asked, well aware that she was, or she would have been in the lounge to eavesdrop on Peter's call with Shuri.

She had told him that she loved hearing the two teens flirt with each other – in Peter's case so awkwardly that it made her smile every time – and thought it was hilarious that they did it, knowing full well that T'Challa and Tony were both trying to figure out if there was any real connection or if they were just messing with them. Pepper was certain that they were just messing with the two men, pointing out that the two always made sure at least one of them – Tony or T'Challa – was handy when they called the other.

If there had been any romantic interest, they'd be sneaking around, hiding in a closet or something to talk to the other.

"I'm almost done for the night," she assured him, smiling at both of them when they crossed the room. "Did you call Shuri?" she asked Peter as he settled beside her.

The boy grinned.

"Yeah."

"He asked her what she was wearing and called her sexy," Stark said, going over to the bar in their quarters and getting a cup of coffee from the pot that Pepper had just made. "Then told me that she was his Juliet."

Pepper looked at Peter who only shrugged – more confirmation, really, that he wasn't interested in dating the Wakandan princess. If he was, he'd be blushing to the roots of his hair.

"Your _Juliet_, huh?"

"My _Cleopatra_?"

"Eh."

"You realize those are both _tragedies_, right?" Stark asked, coming over and leaning over the back of the sofa to brush a kiss against Pepper's cheek. "Everyone gets killed – probably by the suspicious older brother."

Pepper laughed, and brushed a hand against Tony's cheek as he straightened.

"I know you're read them."

"Just _paraphrasing_, dear. What are you working on?"

"Last minute things," she admitted. "Trying to get it done before I take a month off."

He knew that, which was why he hadn't been in to pester her, earlier. She was going to take a month away from the company – with only a few check-ins scheduled with the people who were going to be running things while they were gone – and being the ultra organized person that she was, she wanted to make sure the company didn't suffer from her not being there to hold the reins.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"You can take Cyrano here to get his hair cut this weekend."

"We already planned on it."

Peter smiled, watching the exchange and marveling – as he did, frequently – that they had allowed him into their lives, so intimately. They never left him feeling pushed to the side, even when they were so clearly focused on each other, like they were just then for the wedding. She proved it all the time with little comments like that, reminding him without doing it directly that he was very important to her. Tony was a little less subtle – like him telling Peter that he loved him, earlier – but Peter loved them both for it, and considered himself pretty much the luckiest guy in the world.

Pepper looked over at him.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?"

He nodded, but Tony spoke, first.

"What's to be _ready_ for?" he asked, still leaning on the back of the sofa. "He takes your hand and hauls you down the aisle to stand beside me. He doesn't really need to _rehearse_ that. A chimp could do it."

"I look better in a tux," Peter pointed out.

Pepper laughed, and nodded her agreement.

"Let me finish this and we can find something to amuse ourselves the rest of the evening."

"Okay."

Since Tony's workroom was close by, the two guys went there, closing the door to keep from disturbing her, but it took Pepper a moment before she turned back to her work.

OOOOOOO

"Rehearsal tomorrow at noon, right?"

Strange nodded.

"Yes. Are you coming?"

"It'll be interesting."

Which was Wong's way of saying yes. He didn't have a role in the wedding but had followed all the planning for it with interest. Of course, with Stephen being best man, it was easy to keep track of what was going on.

The wedding was going to be outdoors, because that was what Pepper wanted – and whatever Pepper wanted, that was what they were going to _do_, as far as Tony was concerned. Considering who it was that was getting married, the guest list was a modest one. Just Tony, Pepper, the Avengers, Thor, the magicians and two hundred of their closest friends.

Pepper and Natasha – who, as maid of honor was also in the thick of things when it came to planning – had scoured every possible option for a venue. Tony had told them that if they wanted it to be somewhere exotic – not _Montana_, thank you very much, but say, Fuji or Jamaica – he'd fly the entire guest list there for the big day, but Pepper wanted something much closer to home, and they had decided on a place only fifty miles north of the compound.

It had ample space outdoors for the ceremony, and an apple orchard that was just beginning to blossom in the late spring sun that would make a beautiful backdrop for the ceremony and all photos. There were plenty of indoor facilities that would be set up for the wedding ceremony as well – just in case the weather threatened the outdoor service. The reception was going to be at the same farmhouse that had been used for Tony's bachelor party, and for similar reasons. There was going to be an almost total media blackout, and security was going to be tight. Tony wasn't going to allow anything to screw up Pepper's conquest of him – as _he_ called it – and that included a million cameras flashing in her eyes every time she turned around.

They were doing a media pool – similar to the time that they'd introduced Peter to the media when Tony had adopted the boy. There were going to be five reporters allowed. One from each major network and two who were from the newspapers. They would all share the photos from a single photographer and had already been warned any shenanigans from _one_ would have _all_ of them sent packing without a second chance. The air above the wedding and the reception was already set to be a no fly zone the day of the wedding, and the Avengers were set to use tech to make sure it was enforced with nonlethal, but extremely effective, means.

"The Wakandans are going to be here Wednesday or Thursday. If you want to be introduced, let me know and I'll have Tony do it."

Wong appreciated it, but shook his head.

"I'll rely on observations from a distance, and your own. Tony has enough on his mind, right now."

"True."

Of course, so did _Strange_. He could well understand, now, why Peter hadn't considered himself up to the task of best man. Especially for a wedding like this one, with so many people involved. There was a lot to do. Luckily, Stephen was very good at doing whatever he put his mind to, and he was as determined as Tony was that Pepper's day was going to go without any problems or glitches. They couldn't control the weather – although Wong had smirked and said he might have something up his sleeve if needed – but everything else was being handled with Strange's usual competence and finesse.

"I could pick up Ned for you, tomorrow, if you'd like?" Wong offered. "Save you the trip."

"I'd appreciate it. Natasha's going to bring MJ in for the rehearsal, but if you'd meet Ned at the safe house at nine and take him to the compound, that would be helpful. Tomorrow's going to be pretty busy."

One less thing for Strange to do.

"Sure."

Magic made things easier – by far – but there was still plenty on the sorcerer's plate. Wong was glad that he wasn't in the wedding. He'd learned a long time ago that watching could be just as educational as doing – and less exhausting, in most cases. Tony and Pepper's wedding was just proving him right.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Sorry everyone. Busy day – especially for a Sunday and it left me tired. This chapter is going to pretty much be for information on how the wedding will happen; who will be where and all that, to help me avoid going into all of it during the wedding day – so pay attention!_

OOOOOO

"This is so _awesome_…"

The wedding planner – an extravagantly dressed man in his early 40's with a pencil thin moustache and a tuft of hair on his pointy chin – looked over at Ned with a scowl, which made the boy stop talking, although his grin never faded. He and Peter stood beside each other, dressed casually, watching as everyone that was going to be in the wedding party was put into the positions that they would start the ceremony in.

Since Tony had several groomsmen, Ned had advised him and Pepper that he would like to be an usher instead of actually standing up with the wedding party. He was also excited to be the one greeting so many celebrities and famous people – including several that he'd met at Stark's bachelor party – and seating them, which would give him a chance to talk to everyone. It would also free him to use his phone to take pictures – which he couldn't do if he was standing up in front of everyone.

He knew what he was doing, but the wedding planner had insisted that _everyone_ be there for the rehearsal – and that included Clint's daughter Lila, who was excited to be the flower girl.

"We start with the groom and best man, sitting here," the planner told them, waving imperiously to Strange and Tony to join him in the front row of chairs that had been set out to assist with the rehearsal. There was also an arch, which the actual ceremony would take place under, but that was all that was needed for the practice. "Hurry, my good fellows. We don't have all day."

Strange's scowl clearly showed Peter and those who were watching that he didn't care to have fingers snapping at him, but Natasha wasn't even trying to hide her amusement.

"You will make sure to pay the organist ahead of time," the planner continued, speaking to Strange and ignoring – or maybe not noticing – the look on his face. "It's tacky to be seen handing money over like some sort of illicit arrangement is taking place."

"I'll take care of it," the doctor assured him.

"Groomsmen?" he gestured to Clint, Steve and Bruce, who had been standing close to Peter, watching. "You are out waiting for the bride and the bridesmaids – who will be arriving in the back but out of site behind the barrier – which isn't here, right now, but will look amazing and will block the guests from being able to see what is happening until we are ready for them to.

The three men went to the back of the staging area.

"Do we have an established order to walk in?" Bruce asked, curiously, looking at the others.

"You can decide that amongst yourselves. Just don't trip on the way and cause a spectacle." The man smiled, looking around. "Where is my official?"

"I'm _here_."

The planner hesitated, whatever condescending statement that he had planned to make dying on his lips as Nick Fury stepped forward, his expression clearly stating that he wasn't interested in being told how to act.

"You will join the groom and best man at this time. It is _your_ responsibility to make sure that the organist knows when to play the music – once the maid of honor has given you the signal that the bride and her father have arrived and are ready to begin. Fair?"

"Yes."

Fury walked over to stand under the arch, making Peter grin.

"Ushers will be seating any attendees during this time, handing out programs and making sure that the guests have been properly arranged."

This had stymied the planner, since wedding guests were usually arranged by bride's family and friends and the groom's family and friends. In this case, Pepper and Tony neither one actually had family – aside from _Peter_ – attending. Their guests could sit wherever the ushers put them. Ned puffed up, feeling important, and grinned at a few of the other ushers, who were also smiling. One was Clint's oldest son, and the others were several scientists and military guys from the compound.

"Flower girl?"

Lila had been standing right beside Peter, her finger holding the belt loop of his jeans as she leaned against his hip, bored. Suddenly she squealed and jumped forward.

"That's _me_!"

The planner smiled, his demeanor changing to accommodate her age – and short attention span.

"_You_, my dear, will lead the procession. So, it's very important for you to watch for the signal."

"What's the signal?" Lila asked, curiously.

Nick made an OK sign with his right hand and smiled at her.

"Got it?"

The little girl nodded.

"Yeah."

"The organist will begin to play music to remind everyone to get to their seats."

Tony and Strange turned where they were still sitting, and watched the female members of the wedding party as they began to organize themselves. Peter moved away from the aisle made by the chairs and moved back out of the way.

"The maid of honor will let the official know when the bride and her father – her escort," he corrected, smiling at Peter, who grinned and moved over to stand on Pepper's right, behind everyone else. "Are ready. Then we cue the processional music, and everyone will stand."

He made motions to the chairs, all of which were empty except the one Wong was sitting in, pretending they were filled – although Peter wondered if he didn't see them already filled in his mind.

"The official gives the signal…" he looked at Fury, expectantly, and Nick gave Lila the OK signal. "The flower girl will come walking slowly down the aisle, holding a basket of flowers and gracefully throwing a few at a time to the ground."

Lila walked forward, slowly, pretending to reach into a basket and toss flowers – something she excitedly told Peter that she'd been practicing for days.

"The maid of honor follows…"

Peter and the others watched as Natasha followed Lila down the aisle, matching the little girl's pace.

"Now the couples;" the planner said. "Each bridesmaid with a groomsman."

This had actually been planned. Steve stepped forward, offering his arm to MJ – who blushed and took it with a smile. They started down the aisle, followed by Clint, who was met by his wife's amused grin and then Bruce, who walked with Ned's mother – who was going to fill in as an emergency bridesmaid if necessary. Pepper's personal assistant, who was supposed to be a bridesmaid was currently battling a vicious stomach bug and her presence wasn't guaranteed by the day of the wedding.

"Finally, the bride, along with Peter – and the music will change to let everyone know the big event is here…"

The man snapped his fingers at the boy, who rolled his eyes, good-naturedly – and offered his arm to Pepper. She took it, and they followed the others, after leaving a goodly space.

"Peter will walk with the bride and stop, here," planner said, gesturing to the spot in front of Fury. "The groom and best man will have stood up while they are coming forward, and the groom comes over to join them. Peter will put the bride's hand in the groom's – like _so_," he demonstrated. "And then will go join his wife – well, in _Peter's_ case, he will go where the groom was."

Peter smiled and walked over and sat down, grinning. Shuri and T'Challa were slated to be sitting in the front row – it was fitting, after all, since they were the only royalty coming to the wedding, and had offered up their country for the honeymoon. It would be another way to mess with Tony and T'Challa. He wondered if he'd catch too much guff from the adults if he casually reached out and took Shuri's hand.

Time to worry about that, later, he chided himself, pulling his attention back to the 'ceremony'.

"The bride gives the bouquet to her maid of honor… and then the official will remind people why they are there, and will seat them – unless he prefers they _stand_…"

"Y'all can be seated," Nick said, waving the imaginary crowd to their seats.

Wong sat down.

"The official outlines the role of marriage, the seriousness of the commitment being made, and then asks if anyone has any reason why the couple should not be married."

"The bride is not _allowed_ to say anything," Tony pointed out, smiling at Pepper and raising her hand to his lips.

She smiled, too.

The wedding planner wasn't amused.

"The ceremony takes place. The best man hands the rings to the official who will hand them one at a time to the bride and the groom, who will make their vows – bride, first, and then the groom – and put the rings on. Then the official will ask if they will marry each other, one at a time – and they will say yes. He will proclaim that they are married and introduce them to the crowd with the title that they will prefer in the future."

"Mr. and Mrs. _Pepper Potts_?" Fury asked the two.

Pepper chuckled – and she wasn't the only one.

The wedding planner gave a pained smile – clearly not amused, but unwilling to tell Fury that. Not too surprising.

"The bride and groom will lead the way down the aisle." He waited for Pepper and Tony to do their part. "Then the best man and the maid of honor…" Strange offered Natasha his arm, managing to look ultra sophisticated – even wearing jeans and a polo shirt – and they followed. "Now the flower girl."

Lila jumped forward – she had gone to stand beside Peter, once more leaning on him – and trotted over to follow Natasha and Stephen, and was then followed by the bridesmaids and groomsmen, in the opposite order they had gone up in.

"And everyone goes to the reception – where they will be introduced once more to the bride and groom, who arrive last." The planner looked at everyone. "Any questions?"

Lila raised her hand.

"What do I do with my basket?" she asked, curiously.

"You keep it," the planner told her, acting as if it was the most normal question in the world and he'd heard it a thousand times. And maybe he had, Peter decided, smiling when Lila did. "It's _yours_."

"Yay!"

"The wedding begins at noon," the planner said. "Ushers should be here and in place by 11:00. Everyone else in their places half an hour before – just to make sure there are no last minute problems."

"Anything else?" Tony asked the others, still holding Pepper's hand in his own.

Everyone shook their heads and Strange spoke up, still holding Natasha.

"Then let's go eat."

The rehearsal dinner was more like a rehearsal _lunch_, really, but it promised to be a fun time, with everyone there.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Okay, that last chapter was just a little April Fool's day fun I was having with you all. I just couldn't help myself once I realized what the date was and Suri started telling me knock knock jokes. There won't be any DC in this one – although I might try my hand at a crossover some time – but not in this AU that' I created. I'll surely make the confusion up up to you all with a couple of quick updates for leaving you hanging all day. I promise._

OOOOOO

Despite its somewhat isolated location, the restaurant was an extremely popular one. Famous for its seafood and renown chef, who ran the kitchen like a well-oiled machine. It was closed that afternoon, though, and anyone who tried to pull into the attended parking lot received the same message: _there was a private party going on at the moment and they wouldn't be reopening that day – no, not even for dinner._ The parking lot was far from empty, though. Aside from the cars owned by the employees and owners, there was also a sleek, back Corvette, a limousine, several newer sedans and a classic Pontiac that gleamed brightly in the sunshine. No one else, though, was allowed in to see who was having the party, or was attending.

Strange had set it up that way on purpose, and had paid plenty to have that privacy. He didn't mind; Tony and Pepper were worth it, of course, and he looked forward to having a nice meal with the group without worrying about having to watch for press or public coming up to Stark or one of the others and freaking out on them when they were smiled at. He made sure the payment was so impressive, as a matter of fact, that the place wouldn't open at all, so no one would feel rushed to eat so the staff could prepare for a dinner crowd.

"This place is nice," MJ commented, looking around as they were handed menus.

Peter nodded his agreement, also looking around the restaurant. He'd never been there – although he'd driven by a few times.

"Dr. Strange said they're going to be closed all day – just for _us_."

"We don't have to stay all _day_, though, do we?" Lila asked.

The girl had been glued to Peter's side since he, MJ and Ned had entered the restaurant - a fair bit later than the others, since Peter and Ned had offered to help pick up the chairs with the wedding planner. Lila had wanted to go with Peter from the rehearsal, but the classic car Peter drove his friends in wasn't equipped with the same adjustable seatbelts that were used in their own car, and her mother had put her foot down and told her that she'd have to wait to see him at the restaurant. Which Lila assumed meant that she could sit with Peter during lunch and had immediately run up to him when they walked in the door and claimed the seat beside him the moment he sat down next to MJ – taking the spot that Ned had planned on taking.

When Clint had come to rescue him, the boy had waved him off with a grin, putting his hand possessively into her own. He didn't mind; he liked Lila and it amazed him that she was so eager for his company. Why not spend some time with her? It wasn't like he saw her every day, after all.

"No," he assured her, looking over at MJ, who had been smiling at the girl's infatuation. "Only until we're done eating and ready to leave. But it means we don't have to hurry up and eat, either."

"Good." She opened her menu, looking through it carefully. "What are you going to have, Peter?"

He reached blindly for MJ's hand, while opening his menu and pretending to decide what he wanted. And then blushed, hotly, when he felt her take it, but couldn't help but smile and glance over at her. She grinned and shrugged.

"I think I'm going to try the lasagna," he replied, turning his attention back to the girl. "What are _you_ going to have?"

"Spaghetti."

"That sounds good, too." He looked at MJ. "You?"

"Salmon." She put her menu aside – one-handed – and squeezed his hand before letting it go so she could take a drink of the cola that she'd been served already. "Did you call Shuri last night?"

"_She_ called _me_." Peter grinned. "I think she was waiting for _T'Challa_ to be there."

MJ rolled her eyes, amused.

"And?"

"And then I asked her what she was wearing."

She snorted soda, giggling and reaching for a napkin – as was Peter. Everyone looked their direction, and Peter shrugged, amused.

"You _didn't_!"

"Yeah."

"Did Tony hear you?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Did he say anything?"

"No. He looked like he _wanted_ to, though."

MJ, of course, was well aware of the way he and Shuri were amusing themselves with Tony and T'Challa. Mainly because Peter didn't want her to think that there was anything going on between him and the princess. Not that there was all that much going on between him and _MJ_, either, for that matter, but he didn't want any hurt feelings, or jealousy.

She just thought it was funny. Which was the whole idea.

"Do you know what T'Challa said?"

"No. I don't think he said anything, either. Maybe just a look."

"They'll be here Wednesday?"

"Yeah."

"We'll be back from our trip Thursday night, so tell her I won't see her until the wedding."

She and her folks were going to visit her sister, but her parents had promised to be back in time for the wedding. Of course, if they needed to, Tony could always send someone to get her – in the jet, even. It was nice to have Ironman as your friend's dad, sometimes.

"I'll pass it on."

"Peter!" Lila was willing to share his attention with MJ, but only to a point.

He turned to her.

"Yeah?"

"Will you help me with my straw?"

MJ rolled her eyes.

OOOOOO

"That boy of yours has the patience of Job," Clint said from the other end of the table.

Tony looked over, not needing to look for Peter, since he always was aware of where he was. He saw the boy helping Lila unwrap her straw, and the little girl gesturing wildly as she conversed with him. From the gestures, she was talking about how to be a successful flower girl.

"Why do you say that?"

Clint's wife looked over from spooning a bite of mashed potatoes into their toddler son's mouth. Tony had watched, impressed, as the wait staff had brought a meal that was a guaranteed mess to the highchair and Laura had had no problem keeping the child tidy. Toddler Peter probably would have stuck his face in it.

"Because Lila is being clingy."

"That's one word for it," Clint agreed. "Another is _impossible_. She's been hanging out with him since we arrived at rehearsal, you know? I imagine he'd much rather have Ned sitting by him."

Stark shrugged, but it was Pepper who replied.

"Peter likes her. If you asked, he'd say he didn't mind."

"Besides, she _adorable_," Tony added. "Who wouldn't like a cute thing like that demanding all their attention?"

"Remember that if she throws a tantrum at the wedding and ends up chucking the basket of flowers at someone's head."

"Your sweet angel?" Stark asked, looking scandalized. "_Never_."

"He's staying with Dr. Strange while you're in Wakanda?" Ned's mother asked.

"For two weeks," Strange said, hearing the question from the other side of Pepper. "Then he'll go to Wakanda and spend the last two weeks with them, checking the place out."

"And he'd better check his luggage before he goes," Natasha added with a sly smile.

"Why?"

"Because Wong _really_ wants to go have a look, as well," Strange answered, looking over at his friend, who was in a conversation with Ned and Bruce. "All we know about them is what we have by way of rumors. It should be fascinating."

Clint smiled.

"Sounds like Tony and Pepper should check their luggage before _they_ leave, too."

Stephen smiled.

"I'll wait and hear what they learn, first," he replied. "Then I'll figure out a way to finagle an invitation, myself."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: When I replaced the April Fool's chapter, it didn't alert, so go back and read it again to get the real chapter this time, if you haven't already._

OOOOOO

They had a good time at lunch.

Of course, Peter was having a great time, really, _anyway_. School was done, now, and he had a couple of months of glorified free time, really. Time to spend with Ned and MJ, and – just as good – time to spend with Pepper, Tony and the Avengers without worrying about homework. He could stay up as late as he wanted, sleep in until noon – if he wanted, although he seldom _did_ – and the toddler that was lurking inside him seemed to be merged in fairly well, since he didn't find himself battling his own inner urges to make a grab at every woman he came in contact with.

Which was probably just as well.

Clint was the first to leave, taking his family with him. They had a fair ways to drive, after all, to get back to their farm, and he wanted them home by dark. Besides, he reminded his weepy daughter, who was clinging to Peter, tightly, Peter Pony needed fed, still and would be waiting.

The various ushers left, next, in a large group. They had things they needed to get done, but appreciated the meal and thanked everyone before going. Happy was going to take Ned, MJ and Ned's mother home in the limo, since Peter couldn't drive in the city – otherwise he would have.

Peter said goodbye to his friends, knowing that he wouldn't see MJ until the day before the wedding – if then, since she was going to be doing a spa day with Pepper, Natasha and Ned's mom or the personal assistant to be pampered before the big day.

"Have fun at your sister's," he said, feeling a bit awkward as they walked out to the long, black car.

It didn't help that he knew everyone was watching to see if he kissed her good-bye. Which he had _no_ intention of doing.

She smiled, also aware of the scrutiny. She was very observant, after all.

"I will."

He opened up the car door for her and she got in, and Peter took a pretend swipe at Ned, who made amused kissy faces at him as _he_ got into the car, too.

"Call me if anything interesting happens," Ned told him.

Meaning if he went out as Spiderman, or something.

"I will."

Ned's mother hugged Peter, tightly, and kissed his cheek before letting him go and the boy assured her that he was doing well and didn't need anything – like he always did, every time she saw him, and asked. He was doing well, and like the others, he was looking forward to the wedding as the culmination to the summer.

Of course, he was also interested in seeing Shuri's home – which he knew was intense. Visually and technologically. She was just as excited to show it to him.

Tony and Pepper came up behind him while he was watching the car drive off, and Pepper put her arms around him.

"Did they have fun?"

"Yeah. How do you feel about it all?" Peter asked. "Think we've got it down?"

"It isn't _rocket science_," Tony pointed out, turning as Strange and Wong came out of the restaurant with the others. "We'll be fine."

Pepper agreed, completely, but she was glad to have had a chance to walk through everything with everyone. It was comforting to know they all knew what to do. She couldn't wait to see them all dressed in tuxedos and formal dresses.

"Drive us home?"

"Sure."

Strange had his arm around Natasha. He was going to return to the compound and spend some time there that evening. Ostensibly, to talk final plans with Tony, Pepper and Natasha, but they all knew that it was pretty much to spend time with her. Wong was going to go with Steve and Bruce as far as the compound, but then he would get himself home the _easy_ way from there. The magician had confided to Peter and Tony – _Strange_ already knew – that he was gathering up a few relics to have Peter test for them while he was staying with them.

Which was fine, Tony had agreed. As long as they closely supervised what was happening. It was a sign of just how much Tony trusted Strange with his boy that he didn't even hesitate – despite the whole turn _Peter into a toddler_ thing.

"Good choice of restaurants, Stephen," Bruce told the magician, slapping his shoulder on his way to the car. He looked at Tony. "If _Peter_ was best man, you know we'd have just been finishing up our corn-dogs, now, right?"

"Hey," Peter protested. "I'm classier than that. _McDonald's_, at least. Maybe even closed them down for the day, like Dr. Strange did."

"We can't afford what _they_ make in a day," Tony assured the boy, smiling. "Anyone need anything?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Meet you at the compound?" Strange asked.

"Yes."

Natasha looked at Peter.

"Race?"

The boy grinned and wisely shook his head.

"That isn't _safe_, Agent Romanoff. You know I wouldn't dream of doing anything that might put myself in danger behind the wheel of an automobile."

"_Good answer_," Pepper said, laughing. "Come on, Peter. Take me home. I'm tired."

OOOOOOO

"Did Ned and MJ have a good time?" Tony asked on the drive home.

Peter nodded, looking back at the two passengers who were sharing his backseat – making him feel a little like a chauffeur. Tony was in the middle of the seat, with Pepper to his right, cuddled up beside him, a hand on his leg and her head on his shoulder. She was almost asleep, already.

"Yeah. Ned wanted to come over, but his mom wants him at home the rest of the week."

"There's plenty of time, later."

"I know – so does he."

"And _MJ_?" Pepper asked, opening her eyes to see if he blushed – which he did.

"Yeah. She had fun, too. Thanks for letting them be in the wedding."

"It's refreshing to have some young people," she told him. "Besides, they're your friends – and I like them both."

"So do I," Tony agreed. "I noticed _Lila_ was having fun."

Peter grinned.

"Yeah. She's cute, huh?"

"Adorable. What are you going to do when she finds out you're stringing two girls along – besides _her_?"

The boy saw amusement in Tony's expression when he looked into the rearview mirror.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Right… MJ _and_ Shuri? How many others do you have at _school_?"

He blushed.

"Well, you should see the doors they're all beating down to get to me."

Pepper snorted, amused.

"_MJ's_ alright?"

The boy correctly took that to mean did she know that what was going on between Peter and Shuri was only in good fun and not something serious that would hurt her feelings if she were to find out by seeing it in action. He nodded.

"She's fine, Pepper."

He'd never hurt someone like that. Not on purpose.

"Good." She stretched and then closed her eyes, again. "Wake me up when we get home, okay?"

Stark nodded, even though she couldn't see it, and put his arm around her. If she fell asleep, he'd just carry her to bed. She worked too hard, anyway. It wouldn't hurt to let her get some sleep when she could.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I received a few requests to post that April Fool's day chapter somewhere, so I made it a one shot on the site. It can be found under Batman, or if you look at my profile there should be a link somewhere there, if you're interested._

OOOOOOO

"_Seriously_?"

Peter wasn't the only one to look over at Tony, but they all saw that he was looking at the boy, so he was the one to reply.

"What?"

"You're going to have to work on playing hard to get, Peter," Stark told him. "You know… with you and Shuri being an _item_, and all. Stop looking so excited to see her, or she's not going to appreciate you."

"What?"

Pepper smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Don't listen to him, Peter," she said. "Just because _he_ played hard to get, it doesn't mean it works every time."

"_Me_?" Tony's eyes grew wide in feigned surprise. "I tried to get you to marry me _years_ ago, remember? You said I was drunk and sent me home."

"Because you _were_ drunk."

"That doesn't mean I didn't know what I wanted."

Peter smiled, looking over at Natasha, Clint and Steve. They were all standing on the landing pad, waiting, and even though he was excited to see Shuri and her brother, it was fun to watch the little interactions between Tony and Pepper – no matter _where_ they happened. It was clear the others felt the same way.

The compound was ready for its royal guests. Unlike the last time, when it had been an emergency, this time the King of Wakanda was going to arrive the proper way; in their own version of a Quinjet with a little pomp and ceremony. Not on a gurney covered in blood and debris. During the preceding week the place had been cleaned – even more than its usual shine. Top to bottom, with every room straightened and readied, every bar stocked, the VIP rooms were prepared for T'Challa, his sister and their security contingent and the recreation photos from when Peter had been turned into a toddler and then back into himself had all been taken down and stowed in a safe in Fury's office.

Just in case.

Peter had been in the middle of all the preparations, of course. Being out of school with little to do, he'd offered his services to the people taking care of all those things, and the heir apparent of Stark Industries willingly assisted with vacuuming, dusting and stocking welcome baskets of fruit, candies and alcohol into each room. Then he, Steve and Clint had spent an afternoon on hydraulic lifts cleaning the Quinjet until it gleamed to match the compound. He had also spent an afternoon with Happy in the garage, washing and waxing all the cars until they practically glowed – including his Pontiac and Natasha's Corvette.

The place was ready, and Peter was so excited the day of their arrival that he'd slept badly the night before, and had to be reminded to eat. He was clearly _not_ playing hard to get.

They'd decided not to have a huge group waiting to receive the Wakandans on their arrival. For one thing, it was late afternoon their time, but very early morning, Wakandan time. That meant their guests would probably be tired and not really feel up to anything too intricate or formal and that was fine with Tony. _They_ weren't all that big on ceremony, anyway. For another, the pad wasn't really all that big. There was enough space for Pepper, Tony, Peter, Natasha, Clint and Steve, but not a lot more. Fury had decided not to join them at the last minute, stating that he would wait for breakfast the next day.

Plenty of time to visit, after all.

Pepper smiled at Tony, but before she could reply, Peter and Hawkeye both looked up at the same time – which made the others follow their gaze. A tiny object – barely more than a blink of metal against the late afternoon sun – was heading their way, getting bigger and bigger, until they could all make out the outline of the Wakandan jet. It hovered above the compound for a minute, and Peter knew the pilot was speaking with the Avenger ground control, making sure they had permission to be where they were, and making sure it was safe to land. A moment later, it was settling on three wheels and facing away from the waiting group, hydraulics hissing softly as it did, and the engines turning off, leaving the pad silent.

Tony reached out and put a hand on Peter's shoulder; both to steady his excitement, and to remind him that one didn't rush up and hug a Wakandan princess the minute the hatch opened – no matter how much flirting they'd been doing. Peter flashed him an excited grin, but turned back, expectantly, waiting for the jet to relinquish its passengers. A long moment later the hatch lowered, forming a ramp from the belly of the jet – similar to the Quinjet, Peter noticed, idly – and they saw T'Challa and Shuri standing at the top of it; the King of Wakanda clearly holding his sister's arm in his own – and probably for the same reason Tony held Peter.

Wakandan princesses didn't fling themselves at American boys, after all.

Peter grinned, his eyes going immediately to Shuri, who smiled back at him, rolling her eyes at the wait as the ramp slowly settled into place. T'Challa held himself and Shuri still, waiting for their security people – five of them, including Okoye – to walk down the ramp, first. Not that there was a security threat to the Wakandans – not at the compound – but it was a _king_, after all, and you couldn't be too careful. The security people were all women, and all dressed ceremonially, carrying spears that looked razor sharp and also gleamed in the afternoon sun. They looked around, carefully, and Okoye nodded, once, to T'Challa, who started down the ramp with his sister still firmly held on his arm.

Tony, Pepper and Peter stepped forward a few spaces to meet them, and the two men stopped only a few feet from each other. Being host, Tony spoke, first.

"King T'Challa. Welcome to New York – and thank you for agreeing to come to our wedding."

T'Challa's smile was warm and friendly, and he didn't show any signs of fatigue, despite what time his body was telling him it was supposed to be.

"Mr. Stark. Thank you for the invitation – and for opening your home to us."

They shook hands, and then embraced, formally, before stepping back.

"Enough ceremony?" Stark asked.

T'Challa nodded.

"How are you doing, Tony?"

"I'm well, T'Challa. How was the flight?"

"Long." He smiled at Pepper, then, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips, his dark eyes only for her. "You look ravishing, Pepper. Are you sure you want to marry _him_? _I_ could make you a _queen_."

Stark rolled his eyes, amused, and Pepper's expression was equally so. She hugged the Wakandan king, warmly.

"An offer I _almost_ couldn't refuse. But _he_ needs me more than you do."

"She's not lying," Tony admitted, as T'Challa released Pepper and turned to Peter.

"It is good to see you upright, Peter," he told the boy, offering him his hand. "No lingering troubles from your injury?"

Peter shook his head, and T'Challa's hand.

"No. I'm good. Thanks. How are you?"

"I am well, thank you." He reached for Shuri's hand, once more, turning back to Stark as the formality required. "You remember my sister, Shuri?"

Tony took her hand, and like T'Challa had for Pepper, he brought the girl's palm to his lips with a smile in his eyes.

"How could I forget?" he asked. "I see her lovely visage almost every day."

She laughed and turned to Pepper, holding her hand out to the woman, who had watched the exchange with amusement.

"Thank you for inviting us to your wedding. I'm excited to be here."

"We're glad to have you," Pepper assured her.

Shuri turned to Peter, then, and the boy's smile grew.

"Hey."

"Hello."

"You look good…"

"You do, as well."

Stark rolled his eyes, and exchanged amused glances with T'Challa.

"Just _hug_ her, Peter."

Shuri laughed and wrapped her arms around him, holding him close, and Peter hugged her back, happy to see her.

"Welcome back," he said, daring to press a kiss against her cheek as he finally released her.

She smiled.

"Thanks."


	7. Chapter 7

Introductions were made all around – although none were really _needed_. Shuri had spent plenty of time with the Avengers while waiting for T'Challa to heal up after the explosion in Syracuse, after all, and T'Challa had met them all by the time he'd been healthy enough to wander the corridors of the compound. It was part of the ceremony, though, informal as it was. Shuri smiled at them all, as did T'Challa. The security force already knew each of them as well; it was their job to, really, so none of them were introduced.

When introductions were over, T'Challa nodded to one of his entourage. She vanished into the jet for the briefest of moments and came back with a fancy container in her hands, which she handed over to the Wakandan king. He smiled and offered it to Pepper.

"A gift," T'Challa told her, also looking at Stark. "My country has a few plants and herbs that are found nowhere else on Earth. They will thrive for you – as long as you don't overwater them – and the blossoms of all are a wonder to behold."

Pepper's smile was just as sincere, and she looked down into the pot, noticing the soil was fresh, and that there were a few different kinds of green sprouting from it.

"Thank you, T'Challa."

"Let's go inside," Tony suggested. "You guys could probably use something to drink – or to eat?"

"A drink would be appreciated," T'Challa agreed, stepping forward and offering Pepper his arm. "A meal would not be turned down, either."

Steve stepped forward.

"We'll show your security folks where you'll be staying, so they can make their arrangements."

It wasn't his job to tell the Wakandan people which room each would be sleeping in – that was up to them. Then they wouldn't feel they were being forced into anything they didn't want to do.

"Thank you."

The Wakandans followed Steve, Clint and Natasha – except for Okoye, T'Challa and Shuri, who stepped up to walk beside Peter, behind the adults.

"It is good to finally see you in person, again," she told him, taking his hand. "Video conference calls are better than _emails_, but still not as fun."

"I know. Did you have a good flight? You must be exhausted."

"I napped on the way," she told him. "_You_ look tired."

"Because he was too excited to sleep last night," Tony told her, looking over his shoulder at the two of them. "Shuri's coming, Shuri's coming… as if we didn't already know."

There was no doubting the affection in his expression as he looked at Peter, and she looked at him, too. The boy shrugged.

"I wasn't in the best condition, the last time you were here. This time will be a lot more fun. For _me_, anyway."

"And for me," she assured him.

They went to the lounge, and Tony and Pepper led the way over to the corner table where they normally sat as a family. Okoye found a place by the entrance, watching, but declining to join them. T'Challa held Pepper's chair for her, and she smiled a thank you, thinking that it wasn't every day a king did something like that. It was a heady thought, really. She set the flower pot on the table next to theirs and Peter pulled the chair Shuri was going to sit in, and then went and pulled up another for himself.

"Coffee?" Stark asked T'Challa. "Or something stronger?"

"Coffee, please."

"Shuri?"

"A nice cup of tea, please, Tony."

He didn't ask what the others wanted, and they made small talk about their flight until he returned with a pot of coffee and three mugs, a cup of tea and a cola for Peter. When they were handed out, Shuri looked at Peter, and handed him a small box, about the size of a deck of cards.

"I made you something."

He grinned.

"What is it?"

"Open it."

Peter did what he was told and found a solid block of what looked like carbon, or some other dark ore, maybe. He frowned, confused, and looked back at the princess, who was watching him.

"What is it?"

"A _polymorph_," she explained, reaching for it. "Give me your hand."

The boy offered her his right hand, and she pressed it against the block, firmly.

"Is that _vibranium_?" Pepper asked, curiously.

She'd done a fair amount of research on the ore, and had seen a few pictures, but there hadn't been much to find. Only that it was rare and had unknown properties.

Shuri nodded, smiling.

"It _is_. And now the polymorph is attuned to you, Peter."

"But what does it _do_?" he asked, confused.

He supposed it would make a good paperweight, but he didn't think she'd look so smug if that was all it was good for.

The princess set it on the table.

"It has Nanotechnology involved, and a vibranium structure – which makes it flexible and stronger than anything on the planet. You tell it what you want it to be, and it will become that."

"_Really_?" Stark was impressed, looking at the block, and not bothering to hide it. "Like my latest suit. Only it isn't vibranium."

"I could make a suit with it?" Peter asked, dubiously.

The block wasn't very big.

Shuri shrugged.

"If you wanted. It wouldn't be big enough to fit you, though. A helmet, perhaps. I designed this with a smaller scale involved. But it can be _anything_, really. I've used your voice – from our conversations – so all you have to do is hold it in your hand and say what you want. Try it."

Peter picked the block up, uncertain what to ask it to change into, but willing to try. He glanced over at the other table.

"A flowerpot."

The metal in is hand moved, literally sliding out of his hand as if it had turned to liquid while he'd been holding it. It went to the table and formed itself into a pot, about half the size of the one holding the plants T'Challa had gifted to Pepper and Tony, but nevertheless it was definitely a pot.

"Wow."

Pepper looked over at Tony, who reached out and picked the pot up. It was light-weight, and solid, and he smiled, looking at Shuri as he handed the pot over to Peter.

"That's _impressive_."

She smiled, pleased that he was so willing to praise her capabilities. Many would have been reluctant to be impressed by a sixteen-year-old girl, and she knew it.

"Thank you."

"Shuri is a remarkable talent," T'Challa said, watching as Peter examined the pot in his hands. "We are lucky to have someone as brilliant as her to guide our future technologies."

The girl blushed at the praise, and it made Tony smile. He loved watching budding genius, and it was clear Shuri was the real deal. Especially if she'd created the polymorph by herself – which seemed to be the case.

"That's pure vibranium?" Pepper asked, looking at the pot in Peter's hand.

"Yes."

"Dinner plate," Peter said, watching as the pot rearranged itself and was suddenly a plate, instead.

"That much vibranium… it must be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars."

"Four million, five hundred thirty-five thousand, nine hundred dollars," Peter said, without looking up.

Everyone looked at him, stunned. Including Shuri – who nodded.

"Yes. How did you know?"

"It weighs about a pound," the boy explained, holding the plate in his hand. "A gram of vibranium is worth about $10,000, so I did the math. This is _way_ too much, Shuri. I can't take this."

"It would be the deepest of insults if you declined, Peter," T'Challa said, speaking up before Shuri could explain that the ore was rare everywhere else, but plentiful in Wakanda – and not worth anything close to the enjoyment that she had had making the gift for her friend. "I would be forced to challenge you – or a second, since you are underage – to a fight to the death for hurting my sister's feelings if you refuse it."

Peter frowned.

"Really?"

The young king shrugged.

"Probably not, but if she wanted me to, I might. The ore is rare elsewhere, but in Wakanda is it is not as rare as a good friend. Allow the gift."

The boy looked over at Tony, who shrugged, too.

"I'm not in the mood to smooth over any international incidents," he said. "Just don't leave it laying around anywhere, okay?"

Peter nodded, smiling. He looked at Shuri and leaned over to hug her – which made her smile and return the hug, _hard_. She hadn't considered that he might not want the gift, only that she wanted to give him something that was truly just for him.

"Thanks, Shuri. It's amazing."

"It is my pleasure."

She kissed him as they separated, and the boy smiled at her, looking over at Tony and then T'Challa as he settled back into his chair. Both men were frowning at the kiss, but Pepper's expression was amused. Peter looked back down at the plate.

"What can it turn into?"

"Noting alive, obviously," Shuri told him, smug at having clearly thrown both men for a loop. "It cannot turn into a _bird_, for example – or even a plant. And it cannot change its composition."

"Meaning it can't turn into water?" Tony asked.

"Correct."

"Could it turn into a TV?" Peter asked.

"Yes."

"A radio?"

"Yes."

"A video game?"

"Yes."

"What about a record pla-"

"It'll turn into anything like that, Peter," Tony interrupted, amused, but unwilling to listen to every electronical option the boy could think of. "Try it."

"A television."

The plate in his hand once more seemed to liquify, and Peter wasn't the only one to watch, amazed, as there was suddenly a small television sitting in front of him.

"That's incredible," Peter said, reaching over and turning it on, experimentally.

It turned on – although there was only static on the screen.

"It looks like your suit does when you activate it," Pepper said to Tony.

He nodded.

"It's similar tech, looks like."

Shuri looked at him, curiously.

"Would you…?"

"Yeah."

Stark didn't have to say anything; the tech was integrated with Friday, and there was a mental connection that was as smooth as putting on a well worn glove. For the same reason. A moment later the people at the table watched the arm of his Ironman suit form over the sleeve of Tony's shirt in almost an instant.

"That's impressive," Shuri said, looking at him for permission before reaching out and tapping the metal now protecting Tony's arm.

"Thank you. I tweak it all the time, but the nanotech is really versatile."

He didn't mention the fact that he used it for the web spinners that Peter used, obviously – both the one in his watch, and the one on the unassuming bracelet the boy wore on his left wrist.

"Yes," the princess agreed, looking pleased and excited to actually have a conversation with someone who understood her technology – and the love that she had for it. "You did not press anything to activate it – is there a mental component?"

"Very _good_. There _is_, designed to interface with my AI, Friday."

"We are not here to interrogate Tony about his Ironman suit," T'Challa pointed out to his sister.

Shuri blushed, but grinned, unrepentant.

"What would _you_ care to discuss, brother?"

"Tell me about the plans for the wedding," the Wakandan king requested of Tony and Pepper. "Is there anything _we_ will be required to do?"

That changed the discussion completely, and Peter smiled at Shuri before turning the television into a simple block of vibranium, once more.

This was going to be great.


	8. Chapter 8

They stayed up late.

The Wakandans were fed. Nothing too extravagant, due to the time of day, but Tony offered to have an actual cook come in and make them a real meal if they preferred that over the usual offering of the lounge in the evening after the dinner hour. Both T'Challa and Shuri had declined the offer, telling Stark that burgers and fries were fine. It wasn't something that they always had a chance to eat back home, after all.

Peter chatted with Shuri while she ate, stealing a French fry from her plate, occasionally, but really just keeping her company. They discussed the upcoming wedding more than anything, and Pepper amused herself describing how Lila had a crush on Peter and had stuck pretty close to him during the rehearsal and the lunch afterward.

Shuri smiled.

"You never mentioned _another_ woman, Peter…" she chided, feigning heartbreak.

"She's _nine_," he reminded her., reaching for her hand and squeezing it. "Besides, you know I only have eyes for _you_."

Stark rolled his eyes, and even T'Challa was hard pressed to keep from smiling. Now both men were _fairly_ certain Pepper was correct; the teens were just messing with them. Maybe not certain enough to leave them alone for too long, but enough that neither felt a stab of concern at the flirting.

"And still," Shuri proclaimed, with a little too much drama. "My heart is _broken_. How will I recover?"

"I'll make it up to you," he assured her with a smile. Then his eyes lit up. "I'll take you for a ride in my car."

The princess smiled, the flirting dropping in their voices at the excitement of the thought.

"Yes. I would like that very much."

During the stay the last time, she'd wandered the compound and had seen the cars in the garage, of course, and over the course of their video calls, she had heard the story of his aunt's death, and the subsequent video that had been found in the bank deposit box that had been left by Peter's parents. She'd even been sent a copy of the video and had watched it hundreds of times – although she didn't mention that to Peter. It was so poignant to see how very much the couple had loved their son – and it had been fun to see Peter when he had been so little.

She knew what the car meant to him, and was excited to go for a ride in it.

"Not tonight, though," Peter said. "No sense going out when you can't see anything but the road."

T'Challa frowned.

"I am not certain that there will be time for a ride," her brother said to her. "You should not make plans until we know what the schedule looks like."

She rolled her eyes, recognizing immediately that he wasn't worried about the schedule. He was worried about _her_. And not that she was alone with Peter – romantically – but regarding her safety. It was such a _pain_ to be a princess, sometimes. But she wasn't going to get into an argument with him about it, right now. Not in front of Peter and his parents. She had been raised with royalty and knew that T'Challa couldn't back down if it made it look like there was any damage to his honor doing it.

"Of _course_, brother," she said. "We will discuss it, tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is a spa day for us," Pepper told her and T'Challa. "My bridal party and I are going to spend the day getting pampered. You're welcomed to come with us."

Shuri smiled, appreciating the invitation.

"Thank you," she said, sincerely. "I will wait to see what the schedule looks like."

She had every intention of having a ride in Peter's car during her stay.

OOOOOOO

"My brother is _impossible_."

Peter grinned, stopping outside the door to her VIP quarters a couple of hours later. It was late, and she was tired enough from the trip that she and the other Wakandans would have no trouble sleeping that evening and getting themselves awake when morning came and everyone was on the same schedule. It was one of the reasons that they had arrived a day early; to not be so tired that they embarrassed themselves sleeping through the wedding.

"He's just looking out for you."

"I do not need him to look out for me, though," she reminded him. "I am smart enough not to get myself into a situation I cannot handle. It is just a _car ride_."

"Yeah. I know. You're preaching to the choir, really."

She frowned, curiosity distracting her annoyance with her protective brother for the moment.

"What does _that_ mean?"

Luckily, Peter knew that answer.

"A preacher will sometimes practice his sermon on Saturday," he explained. "For church on Sunday, I mean. Usually the choir is practicing, too, so they already know the sermon by the time Sunday comes along. It's redundant to tell them again – but he _will_, of course."

Shuri smiled.

"Odd saying, but it does make sense."

Peter nodded.

"I'd better let you get some sleep. Good night."

She hugged him, tightly, but since there wasn't any father or older brother near at hand, she let him go without a kiss, this time.

"I will see you in the morning?"

"Yeah. Definitely. If you wake up and I'm not around, text me and let me know you're awake, okay? I'll come find you and we'll have breakfast together."

"Yes."

He waited until she closed her door, and nodded a good night to the Wakandan security person who had trailed behind them, unobtrusively, from the lounge. Of course, it was hard to miss any of them, really, but Peter understood, completely. Didn't Tony send security people to watch over him when he was in Syracuse? And that wasn't even a completely different country, after all. Of course T'Challa would want someone watching his sister.

He pulled his polymorph out of his pocket and headed for his own rooms, feeling pretty tired, too, but figuring he'd play with the ting once or twice. Tech like what he was holding was enough to keep him awake all night, if he allowed it to.

OOOOO

"That girl is going to drive me to drinking…" T'Challa complained watching as Shuri and Peter walked out of the lounge, almost immediately followed by one of the Wakandan security presence.

Pepper and Stark both smiled at that. Okoye had joined them at their table, but she didn't smile. She was tired, and was impatient for her king to go to bed, so she could, as well.

"I'll talk to him," Tony promised.

"_He_ is not the one I am truly worried about," T'Challa said, also smiling. "Shuri has already given me a list of things that Peter has mentioned doing during their calls that she is interested in trying during our visit."

"Like what?" Pepper asked, curiously.

"_Putt-putt_, for one." He scowled. "I had to google it, rather than admit I did not know what it was and ask her."

"That's pretty harmless."

"Not if you are a _Wakandan princess_," Okoye muttered. "There _are_ no harmless activities."

Tony could understand how she would feel that way. He had to admit, he usually felt nervous allowing Peter to go anywhere without someone there to guard his back – and the boy wasn't a prince. Well, he corrected, he was _his_ prince, and his heir, of course. But that was _family_. Not an entire _country_.

"Shuri does not understand," T'Challa said. "She will complain when I tell her she cannot go with him, tomorrow."

"Well, think about it," Stark said, shrugging. "If she doesn't _look_ like a Wakandan princess, it might not be as dangerous. Romanoff is always pointing out that it's easier to hide in plain sight. Peter would look out for her"

"Your son cannot protect Shuri," Okoye stated.

"My son took a _bullet_ for her," Tony snapped, before he could stop himself. "Where were _you_?"

It was a sensitive subject for him, obviously.

Okoye flushed so hotly that even her dark complexion couldn't hide it. Not only had she been reminded of her failure to protect the royal family in Syracuse, but she had potentially embarrassed her king and herself by belittling Peter – who she knew didn't deserve it. Even she knew he was a brave lad, or he wouldn't have tried to protect the girl like he had.

"I apologize, Mr. Stark," she said, bowing her head to both him and to Pepper – and then to T'Challa as well. "I did not mean to underscore what Peter did for Shuri."

"No," Tony was just as quick to try to smooth things over – even before Pepper could. "_I'm_ sorry. She's your responsibility and yours to protect as you see fit. Forgive me; it's been a long day."

T'Challa nodded his head.

"It _has_ been," the young king said, understanding that everyone was tired – and Tony was under a lot of strain with the upcoming marriage, as well. "I think I will call it a night. Breakfast tomorrow?" he asked, pointedly, making sure they understood he wasn't upset and that they shouldn't be, either.

"Absolutely. When you're up and around send someone. Anyone can find me."

"Thank you." He smiled and stood up. "Good night."

"Good night."

They watched as he and his guard walked out of the room, and Pepper reached for his hand.

"Smooth."

He sighed, and brought her hand up to his lips.

"I know. Sorry."

"It's all right. Let's go to bed, okay? It's been a busy day and I have a lot of pampering to have done to me tomorrow. I need my rest."

He smiled at that, and stood without relinquishing his hold on her.

"You're right."

But he decided that maybe the Wakandans needed a bit of a demonstration of his boy's abilities. Then maybe they'd feel a little better about Shuri being alone with Peter – or at least out with him with minimal guards.

He'd talk to Steve first thing in the morning, since Natasha was going to be with Pepper all day.


	9. Chapter 9

"_Why_ are we doing this, again?"

"Because you need the practice."

"It's _Thursday_, Steve," Peter pointed out, circling the mat, watching the man and listening to his gut, waiting for the attack that was going to come – he just didn't know where from, or when. "_And_ the day before the wedding."

"Think a kidnapper is going to grab you and then apologize for doing it at an inopportune time. Peter?" Clint asked, watching the two.

"Well, no. I guess not. But-"

He felt the warning at the same moment Steve made his first attack, and the flurry of blows sent him backward – although Steve never landed on him.

"Good."

Steve moved back to their starting positions, and Peter followed, glancing sideways when a movement from the corner of his eye drew his attention. He saw Tony walk in with T'Challa, Shuri and Okoye. Before he could do more than register their presence in the gym, Steve attacked him, again, and this time Clint threw a couple of golf balls at him to try and distract him from his defense.

He dodged one with one arm, while catching Steve's blow on his forearm at the same time. Then his foot came up, and he used the momentum to flip himself backward, dodging the second golf ball and slashing his free hand out at Steve as he passed by him. A quick arm came up to block him and Peter grinned, amazed as he always was when he did something impressive like that.

"Good one, Peter," Clint said, catching the golf ball that Peter tossed to him as he and Steve returned to their places.

"Try some offense," Steve suggested.

Peter nodded and launched his own attack, throwing his sparring partner backwards with several punches that didn't land and a kick that missed and might have caused him to lose his balance if not for a hasty hand on the floor and something of a somersault that brought him upright, once more.

"You okay?" he asked Steve, knowing that he'd missed him, but always asking.

It was a habit that Natasha found amusing and had made him promise to not ask any potential bad guys the same thing.

"Yeah."

OOOOOOO

"Wow…"

Tony forced himself not to look smug as they watched Peter spar. First with Steve, alone, and then with Clint. Finally with both men going after him at the same time. It was clear that Peter hadn't told Shuri that he had any fighting skills, because she looked shocked. And impressed.

"Yeah, he does _okay_," Stark told the girl. "Having him learn was my way of reassuring myself – and _Pepper_ – that it was safe to let him attend his regular school without having a full time bodyguard on him."

"He is _very_ good," T'Challa said, admiring the fluid motions of the boy and the effortless way that he dodged the two men attacking him. "I have to admit, when you mentioned he was sparring, I did not expect it to be with the Avengers."

Certainly not with Captain America.

"You expected a private tutor? Or maybe another teenager?"

"Yes."

"He's too good for that. Natasha calls him a natural, so we let him fight with the big boys."

"Are you training him, then, to become an Avenger, eventually?" Okoye asked, curiously, also watching the combatants.

"It's what he wants to be," Tony confirmed, with a shrug. "He's not there, yet, though. And I won't risk him until he is."

"He looks like he is as good as Steve," Shuri said, amazed as the boy suddenly did a back flip to avoid a blow from Clint that left him in the right position to press an attack against Rogers.

"It is not uncommon for an instructor to lower their skill level to match that of the person they are teaching," Okoye said to the girl, watching the match with interest.

"They're going all out," Stark assured her, not at all offended by her disbelief. If it was the first time he'd seen them sparring, he wouldn't believe Peter was that good, either. He smiled, figuring that there was really only one way to prove the boy's abilities. "Care to have a go at him?"

She wasn't the only one to turn and look at him, surprised.

"I would – but I will not. To avoid injuring him. He does not know my style, and could hurt himself trying to counter a simple blow."

"It's not a bad idea for him to take on people with different skills," Tony reminded her. "The more varieties he sees, the more he learns. Just don't bruise his face, okay? I want him to look good in the wedding photos."

"I do not _know_, Tony," T'Challa said. "Perhaps _Steve_ could fight Okoye and then teach the style to Peter."

He looked concerned for the boy, and Stark appreciated that. He shrugged, though, and shook his head.

"She's your best fighter?"

"Yes."

Shuri looked like she might have said something, but a stern glance from her brother stopped whatever it might have been.

"Then only she will do." He put his finger in his mouth and whistled, drawing the attention of the three sparring. When they all turned to look at him, Tony waved them over. "Come here, guys."

Okoye was dressed in her normal ceremonial clothing, but the very nature of her job made it clothing that she could fight in – or spar in. She looked at the three who walked over, and saw Peter smile a good morning to Shuri.

"What's up?" Steve asked.

"Okoye is under the impression that you might be dumbing down your abilities in order to spar with Peter."

Steve looked over at her and she shrugged. It wasn't how she would have put it – she was usually fairly diplomatic, after all. But it was very hard to believe that a boy of sixteen could be so skillful.

"I'm not," Steve told her. He looked at Tony. "You want Peter to go against her?"

"If he's willing."

They all looked at Peter, who just realized what they were saying. He shrugged, and nodded.

"Without the spear, though."

Obviously he wasn't worried about taking on a new style – even though there was no way he could have ever seen it.

Shuri looked worried, though.

"Do not let them goad you into accepting the challenge, Peter," she told him, frowning at Okoye and also at Stark, uncertain why they seemed so interested in allowing Peter to get hurt.

He smiled and shook his head.

"The worst that can happen is that I get beat up," he told her, shrugging. "The best? I learn something _new_. That's always worth it, right there. Right?"

He walked over to the mat, and without a word Okoye handed her spear to Rogers, and walked gracefully over to the mat to join him.

"Do you have a preference of offense or defense?" she asked as they squared off.

"I'll take defense, first," Peter said. "If you don't mind."

Which was smart, she acceded. It would give him a chance to observe how she moved, and what her style was. Smart.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

She attacked without warning, feinting a blow to the head which he didn't fall for and actually going low, toward his side. She had to admit that she was shocked when he seemed to know exactly where each blow was going to land, and he was able to fend off all of them as he allowed the attack to drive him back, off the mat. She stopped, moving back to their starting positions and looking over at T'Challa, whose face was expressionless as he watched.

This time she didn't ask if Peter was ready. She launched a new attack, the blows coming at the boy full speed and full force. His training with the Avengers and Doctor Strange and Wong had him ready, though, even with a completely new fighting style. He once more fended off the attacks, and this time once she'd driven him back, his arm came up in a feint that she almost fell for before lowering her guard and blocking a well-placed swat to her ribs.

They went back and forth for several minutes, and now they were both alternating offense and defense without conferring abut it before the attack was launched. He didn't land a single blow, but she was down right shocked that she wasn't able to land on _him_, either – no matter what kind of attack she tried. Finally, she stepped back, off the mat, and held up her hand.

"Enough," she said, bringing the boy up short with a very rare smile. "I have seen what I needed to see. You are _very_ good, Peter. Incredibly fast."

He blushed, pleased at the compliment, and then grinned. She was annoyed that he didn't even seem to be out of breath.

"Thanks. You're really good."

"Have you seen enough?" Tony murmured to T'Challa, smiling to take the smugness out of his tone and not offend.

The King of Wakanda nodded, amused, and realized what Stark was asking.

"Yes. I believe I will feel confident allowing Shuri to go for a ride in Peter's car with him."

Shuri looked over, surprised, a smile forming.

"_Really_?"

"Yes. Perhaps even you can do your putt-putt. If you promise to stay near Peter while you are away from the compound?"

"Of course."


	10. Chapter 10

T'Challa, Shuri, Stark and Okoye went to the lounge to wait for Peter who told them that he needed a shower before joining them for breakfast.

"What do you plan on doing today?" Shuri asked Stark, curious what a man in America did the day before his wedding. "Is there a pre-wedding ritual, or anything?"

Tony shrugged.

"Stephen Strange – who is best man, I think I remember Peter telling you – is going to come over and keep me from getting cold feet by distracting me. Now that your _brother_ is here, I'll have even more to keep my mind off being nervous until Pepper comes home. _Then_ I won't be nervous at all."

"I thought there is a custom to not see the bride before the wedding?" T'Challa asked.

"It's not set in stone." Tony thought it was a stupid custom, anyway, and absolutely refused to be away from Pepper that evening just because someone back in the old days had come up with a good way to keep nerves from starting an argument the day before the wedding. "Besides, we're going to be leaving Peter for a couple of weeks and we don't want one of us to have to stay somewhere else before the wedding and not spend time with him this evening."

Shuri's smile was tender.

"You love him very much."

Stark nodded, also smiling, and without any sign of self-consciousness. He was never going to try and hide how he felt about his boy.

"But don't _tell_ him. He might try to finagle an invitation to the honeymoon, or something."

"He _could_ come, you know," T'Challa said. "Wakanda is a large country. You and Pepper could honeymoon elsewhere, and we could keep him amused at the capitol."

"I appreciate that – and I know Pepper would, also. _Peter_ wouldn't agree, though. He says he wants us to have time alone."

Stark rolled his eyes at the suggestion that they could get tired of the boy, which made Shuri grin. She had to admit that she had always been a huge _Ironman_ fan, but the more time she spent with his alter-ego Tony Stark, she was steadily becoming a _Tony Stark_ fan, as well. And not because of all the technology he had access to. Peter was lucky to have him as a father.

"The offer remains," T'Challa told him, also smiling. "Right up until the jet leaves. In case he surprises you."

"Thanks."

When Peter joined them, hair still damp from his shower, he was smiling, cheerfully.

"What has you so amused?" Tony asked, curiously.

"Natasha sent me a picture from the spa."

"_And_…?"

"Nothing. She just showed me the guy doing Pepper's hair. He's _flirting_ with her, trying to convince her that Ironman isn't more than a scrawny guy in a metal suit, and that she needs a man with _muscles_ – who can keep her safe."

"I have muscles."

"That's what Pepper told him, I guess."

"And…?"

"They're _still_ flirting, so he must not have convinced her to run away with him, yet."

Shuri noticed that Tony didn't look at all upset at the idea of another man talking bad about him – even in fun – to the woman who would be his wife the next day. Of course, she knew from conversations with Peter that the two loved each other very much, so she could understand.

"It is a good distraction to keep _Pepper_ from being nervous, too," T'Challa said, also approving.

Of course, he'd _already_ flirted with Pepper, when they had arrived, so he could understand.

Now that Peter was there, breakfast was brought over to their table and they started eating, but Tony was thinking about the day ahead. And not _his_ day.

"I want to talk about security, today," Tony said to Peter – and Shuri.

Both teens nodded, and Tony looked at Okoye and T'Challa, as well, to make sure they understood if they had a different thought than his, they should speak up.

"Okay," Peter replied, taking the initiative, since he knew that while they were out alone, he was responsible for keeping Shuri safe.

"You can take Shuri for a ride in the Pontiac," Stark said. "But then you bring it back and take a _different_ car if you guys go golfing."

"Why?" Shuri asked, curiously.

"Because the Pontiac is pretty well known. If someone sees it, they're going to know Peter's somewhere around. With all the publicity about the wedding, you guys might find yourselves facing down reporters looking for a prewedding scoop, or worse. If you take a car – not one of mine with the STARK license plates – then you're just a couple more teenagers out fooling around."

T'Challa nodded his agreement with that.

"Smart," Okoye said, approving.

"Did you bring any jeans?" Tony asked the girl.

"Yes."

"Good. Dress down, okay? You're beautiful in your homeland's clothing, but the less you look like a _princess_, the better for my comfort. And probably everyone else's, too," he added, looking at T'Challa and Okoye.

"Peter has a communications capability on his watch?" T'Challa asked.

"Yes."

"Shuri does, as well." Now it was the King of Wakanda who leveled his serious gaze at the teens. "If you feel you are in any danger, you will call for assistance."

Shuri nodded, not even rolling her eyes, since she knew that T'Challa was giving her and Peter a lot of trust, and she appreciated it, and wasn't going to do anything to make him regret it.

"We will, brother."

"Yeah," Peter nodded, as well.

"Is Peter armed?" Okoye asked.

Tony shook his head.

"His skills lie elsewhere." And he wasn't a fan of firearms, really, even though Natasha wanted him to learn to shoot – just in case. It was pretty much the only thing those two ever butted heads on. "He _does_ have defensive driving training, though, courtesy of Happy and Natasha – and you've both seen his hand to hand capabilities."

"Yes."

"Anything else you want to add?" Stark asked T'Challa and Okoye.

"You do not go into the city," T'Challa said.

"We won't," Peter assured him. "The mini golf place is about thirty miles from here, and there's a truck stop close by that we can have lunch at. No one will mess with us there."

Peter was a favorite of the employees at the truck stop, since he and Steve would have late night snack attacks there, sometimes, and he and Bruce had killed many hours talking about various projects that Banner worked on, since Bruce told him that getting out of the lab and the compound helped him think better, sometimes. Tony hated the place, and rarely went there, proving that he wasn't above holding a grudge, sometimes, where Peter tried not to.

"When are you leaving?" Tony asked, looking at his watch.

"After we eat?" Peter asked, looking at Shuri. "I'll take you for a ride in the Pontiac, first, and we'll come back and change cars to go golfing."

"Back here by three," Tony said. "Check in with me or T'Challa every half hour."

Shuri frowned, and started to object to that, but Peter cut her off.

"We will."

Everyone waited, looking at Shuri, and the girl shrugged and nodded.

"Every half hour."

T'Challa forced himself to hide his smile, but he was amused, because Shuri had finally found someone to make her listen.

"Good," Tony said. "It's supposed to be an easy day, today. Don't make me come looking for you."

"We'll be careful," Peter promised him.

"I will keep an eye on him."

"I appreciate that."

_Someone_ had to, after all.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Busy day tomorrow, but I hope to get a chapter out sometime between doctor appointments! Hope there is still interest here, because I'm having fun with it._

OOOOOOO

It wasn't a surprise that Tony and T'Challa were both in the garage when Peter and Shuri met there after breakfast. The girl had gone to her temporary quarters to change into jeans and a blue t-shirt that showed the same star that graced Captain America's shield, and when she arrived in the garage, even T'Challa had to admit that she didn't look much like a princess.

Peter smiled, coming into the garage as well – but from the outside, through the now open door. He had Steve with him.

"Very _American_," Rogers said, approvingly.

Shuri smiled.

"Peter sent it to me."

"She wears it all the time," T'Challa murmured to Stark. "Always telling everyone about how Captain America took her to McDonald's."

"It was _exciting_," Shuri told him, walking over to the Pontiac. "This car is beautiful, Peter."

He flushed with a combination of pleasure and pride.

"Thanks."

Shuri pulled out her phone and imperiously handed it to her brother.

"Take our picture."

"Let's get it outside, first," Tony suggested, amused that the King of Wakanda was still subject to the annoyance of a little sister.

There was definitely something to be said for being an only child.

The day was overcast, but the rain that had been forecasted hadn't arrived. The others all went outside and Peter pulled the car out and parked it in front of the now closed garage door. Then he put the top down and joined Shuri in front of it. She put her around him, looking at T'Challa, expectantly. He rolled his eyes and dutifully took their picture.

"Now one of me and _Mr. Stark_."

Peter released her, and Tony took his place, smiling at the camera – and T'Challa.

"Peter? Will you take one of me and my brother?"

"Yeah."

They didn't leave, immediately. There were plenty of photos to take before they could go. Shuri and Peter, Shuri and Tony, Shuri and her brother. Shuri and Steve. Tony and T'Challa. Tony and Peter. Tony, T'Challa and Peter. Every combination imaginable was done, and she finally took her phone back from Okoye, who had taken a group picture for them.

"When Pepper and the others get back, we can finish them," she said.

Tony opened her door for her.

"Drive safe," he told Peter as the boy started the car.

"I will."

They drove off, and Tony looked at T'Challa.

"Do you know how to play chess?"

The King of Wakanda smiled.

"I _do_ – but I have been told that I am not allowed to take any wagers with you."

"What?" Tony asked, turning and heading for the door. "Who told you _that_?"

"Pepper."

"What does _she_ know?"

OOOOOOO

The drive was fun. Peter didn't speed, but he didn't need to. With the top down, Shuri had a good time playing with the air currents and waving at the other people on the road when they would honk at them in appreciation of the classic car. Peter smiled, enjoying the fat that she was having a good time more than enjoying the drive, itself.

"Is Ned coming by today?" Shuri asked him as they finally turned back toward the compound.

"He was going to," Peter told her. "But he has a lot to do, and it has to get done today, so probably not. You'll see him tomorrow – when he seats you in your spot in the front, next to me."

"Are you nervous?"

"About the wedding?"

"Yes."

"I'm not getting married."

"You don't think it will change their dynamic?"

He shrugged, thinking about it, and then shook his head.

"I don't think so. They already love each other – the ceremony won't make them do it any more. And I know they love _me_. Even if they give each other extra attention because of being married, there's still a lot left over for me."

She smiled, and shook her head.

"I love your family, Peter."

"So do I," he agreed.

When they pulled into the garage, it wasn't just Tony and T'Challa that met them. Stephen Strange was there, as well. They were leaning against Natasha's Corvette and Peter just left the top down.

"How was the drive?" Tony asked the girl, opening her door for her.

"Wonderful. Peter is a very safe driver."

The boy rolled his eyes.

"What do you want me to drive, Tony?"

"Take Natasha's car."

He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Seriously?"

"She said to tell you it was fine – and it doesn't have personalized plates, so no one will look twice."

And since the attack on her and Peter in it, she'd had the frame reinforced to allow extra protection in the event of any kind of attack, again. Peter nodded.

"What are _you_ doing?" Shuri asked her brother, curiously.

"I played cards with Tony until Stephen arrived, and now they are going to teach me Cribbage."

"Good luck with that," Peter said, shaking his head as they transferred cars.

He hated Cribbage.

"Don't forget to check in," Tony reminded them.

"We won't."

They'd kept good on their promise so far, after all.

OOOOOOO

The putt putt place wasn't too busy. Its location made it a place that was frequented by families on the weekends more than anything, aside from the few locals that lived nearby – like Peter and the Avengers. They parked and went in – with Peter checking in a little early, just so Tony would know they arrived – and he paid for their round. With putters in hand, Shuri selected a green ball, and Peter's was gold, and he explained scoring – which wasn't more difficult than counting, of course – and then they headed for the first hole.

"This is much harder than it looked on YouTube," Shuri complained half an hour later.

"It takes practice," he agreed. "There's no reason you couldn't make yourself a course back home, though, is there? Now that you know what it should look like, and do?"

"That is true. Maybe I could make a Wakandan version, with themes from my country, instead of clowns."

"You don't have clowns in Wakanda?"

"No."

"_Barbarians_."

She laughed, and swung her club at him, careful not to come _too_ close and actually hit him, but he parried the blow like he'd seen in a million movies, and made a pirate sound.

OOOOOO

Stark looked up from his cards, surprised, when Shuri and Peter walked into the lounge – a little earlier than expected. They were holding hands and smiling, so he didn't think something had happened to bring them home early. But here they were.

"You're back early," Strange said, always willing to be nosy.

"Yeah."

Shuri sat down, but Peter went to the bar to get them drinks.

"Is everything alright?" he brother asked.

"Yes."

"Did you eat?" Tony asked Peter when he returned holding a couple of colas. He handed one to Shuri and then sat down across from Strange.

"We _did_," Shuri told him. "At the truck stop."

Clearly she had enjoyed her day.

"How was putt-putt?" Stark asked. "Who won?"

"We didn't finish our round," Peter admitted.

"Why?"

"We were kicked out," Shuri told them.

"You got kicked out of the mini golf course?" Strange asked.

"Yeah."

"For _what_?"

"Playing pirates."

"Peter broke his putter."

"I paid them for it," the boy added, quickly. "But, yeah. They don't like it when people use their putters to swordfight, apparently."

Stark rolled his eyes, amused. And then he frowned. "What did you do all morning, then?"

Shuri's eyes lit up.

"Peter took me to this place where they put you in a small room and then release a throng of puppies into the room." She smiled at T'Challa, her expression so pleased that all three men had to smile back. "It was so much fun, brother. There were little ones and big ones – I have never had such a time."

"You took her to the puppy therapy place?" Tony asked Peter, just to make sure.

"Yeah. It was fun. Then we went and had lunch and came home."

"We almost came home with a puppy," Shuri admitted.

Which happened to them any time _they_ went, too, so that was no surprise.

"Everything okay, then? You had a good time?"

Peter looked at Shuri, letting her answer, since the question was almost surely directed at her, really. She nodded.

"Yes." The girl turned to her brother. "Thank you for letting me go."

"I am glad you had a good time."

"I did. What did you do?"

"We played chess."

She wondered why Peter suddenly looked uneasy.

"You and _Tony_?" The boy asked.

T'Challa nodded, looking a little chagrined.

"Yes."

"Did you wager?"

"We did."

"And…?"

Stark smiled, smugly.

"He owes me a pony."

Shuri looked at her brother, surprised. Peter just shook his head.

"You lost?"

"He is a very good player."

"Peter's much better," Stark warned, still smiling.


	12. Chapter 12

Peter grinned, shaking his head and looking over at T'Challa.

"What are you going to do with a pony?"

"I have _no_ idea," the young king admitted. "But that was what he said he wanted to wager, and it _seemed_ harmless, enough."

"He got _me_ a pony for my birthday," Peter told them.

"Really?" Shuri asked. "I did not see-"

"He's allergic to _horses_," Strange said, amused. "Tony got him a pony – that he didn't ask for in the _first_ place – and then turns out he can't be around them for more than half an hour before he's weepy, red-eyed and congested. _Worst_ birthday present, ever."

Peter's smile was also amused, and he looked over at Stark.

"Don't listen to him, Tony. It's the _thought_ that counts, right?"

"Exactly what I was thinking. _Thank you_."

"_Peter_ plays chess," Shuri reminded her brother. "Perhaps double or nothing on the pony, if _he_ can beat you."

"I do not want _two_ ponies," T'Challa pointed out.

"You won't beat _Peter_," Tony assured him. "He's too good."

The challenge was there, now, and Stark hadn't just thrown down a gauntlet, he'd rubbed T'Challa's nose in it, first. Peter rolled his eyes, looking at Shuri for a little help, but she was the instigator; she wasn't going to help him wiggle out of the bet. Not when _she_ was the one who had named the stakes in the first place.

The King of Wakanda smiled and shook his head. The last thing he wanted to bring home from America was a couple of horses, but he certainly wasn't going to allow the boy to win. The pride of Wakanda was at stake, after all. He could always make Shuri take care of them.

"Fine."

Strange leaned back, amused, as Shuri went to fetch the chess board. This should be interesting.

OOOOOO

When Natasha and Pepper entered the lounge, looking refreshed, pampered and absolutely gorgeous, they found Peter and T'Challa on either side of a chess board, watching it, intently. Around them was a small crowd of people; including Tony, Stephen, Shuri, Steve, Bruce, Okoye and Nick Fury. All of them were watching the game, just as intently.

"What's going on?" Natasha asked, curiously, causing everyone to look up, startled.

Tony jumped to his feet, reaching for Pepper and pulling her close up against him to claim a kiss.

"Why didn't you tell me you were headed back?" he asked, nuzzling her neck – she smelled and _looked_ delicious. "I would have met you in the garage."

"We wanted to surprise you." She hugged him, watching as Stephen reached a hand, idly, out to Natasha, who leaned down to kiss his cheek before moving over to stand behind Peter. "What's going on?"

"Just a friendly game of chess," Stark said, sitting back down and pulling her down onto his lap. "You look _amazing_. Did you have a good time?"

Pepper smiled, pleased at the compliment, of course.

"We _did_. MJ made it back in time to come with us for most of it." She looked at Peter, who had Natasha's arms wrapped around him from behind as the assassin looked over the board. "She said that she will see you tomorrow and don't call her tonight, she's busy making sure her dress is perfect."

Peter nodded.

"Okay. Thanks."

"Who's winning?" Romanoff asked, curiously.

"This game?" Bruce asked. "So far, _T'Challa_, I think."

"_This game_?" Pepper echoed. "How many have you played?"

"Nine," Shuri replied, smiling.

Romanoff frowned; looking at the people around her and easily reading the tension that came with more than just a friendly game of chess.

"Are you _wagering_?"

"They _are_," Stephen informed her.

"Oh, no." Pepper looked at Tony, who gave her his best innocent look, and then at Strange, well aware that he would be the one to give her the most honest answer. "What are the stakes? And what's been won – or _lost_, so far?"

He didn't need to look at the list he'd been keeping track with, but he did, anyway.

"Peter won the pony back for Tony. Then he won a zebra. Then T'Challa won the zebra back, and then lost one of those ceremonial spears that the King's guard carries. Peter then won a vibranium mine and lost a ride in the Pontiac. T'Challa then lost an 18th birthday party bash in Wakanda for Peter and five friends, and won an 18th birthday party with five Avengers of her choice for Shuri. This game is the ninth."

Pepper frowned, looking at Peter.

"You won a vibranium mine?"

"A played out one," he told her. "There's nothing really in it, now."

"But he can say he owns a vibranium mine," Tony said, squeezing her, cheerfully. "How many sixteen-year olds can say that?"

"What are you wagering on this one?" she asked, ignoring the comment.

How many sixteen-year olds _needed_ a vibranium mine?

"If I lose, I bring Peter breakfast in bed, tomorrow," T'Challa said, amused.

"And if you _win_?"

"He spars against me when we return home – and teaches Okoye his fighting style while he is visiting after your honeymoon."

Natasha smiled, looking over Peter's head at the King.

"You really want to risk bringing him breakfast in bed?" she asked.

"I am not concerned," T'Challa assured her, just a little cocky. "It just gives me more incentive to win."

She shrugged, looking at Shuri.

"What five Avengers are coming to your birthday party? And where is it going to be?"

"Here, at the compound," she replied, smiling in anticipation. "Peter could not guarantee all participants I may request, of course, but the wager was that he would make the request. It is obviously up to them to decide if they will attend. The list is easy, really; Tony, Steve, yourself, Thor and the Incredible Hulk. Any others that want to come are welcomed, of course."

Romanoff smiled.

"The _Hulk_, huh?"

"I have only seen videos," she said. "But it would be amazing to see him, close up. You have, correct?"

She nodded, pointedly not looking at Bruce, who looked startled at the addition to the list.

"Up close, yes."

"Yeah…" Tony looked a little uncertain, for the first time since Peter had won the vibranium mine. "That one might be a little difficult. He's not really the most accommodating of people."

"I understand," Shuri said. "But…"

She trailed off, because Tony was watching Peter, more intently now, and with a look of growing concern. Everyone else noticed, immediately, of course. The Avengers were all observant like that – even when doing something as innocuous as watching a chess game, and Tony, of course was always aware of Peter.

"You okay, Peter…?"

The boy had suddenly looked somewhere else, seemingly distracted – easy to read when he was playing chess and usually fairly intent on what he was doing. Peter looked over at him, his expression going from distracted to suddenly a bit alarmed.

"Yeah. I…" he stumbled to his feet, with Natasha's arms still around him, only now she was concerned, too. "I think something's coming."

"What do-"

Natasha was interrupted when he suddenly grabbed his head and groaned, stepping back and almost dragging her to the ground, if Steve hadn't jumped forward and steadied them both. Peter gave an agonized cry and went limp in Romanoff's arms – unconscious – just as Friday chimed an alert to Stark's communicator.

"_Thor has arrived at the compound."_


	13. Chapter 13

_"Peter!"_

Strange jumped forward, reaching for Peter even as Natasha and Steve lowered him gently to the floor. The doctor immediately checked for a pulse, while Stark stood up so quickly that he almost dislodged Pepper and she would have tumbled to the floor if not for his arm around her. They both moved toward the fallen boy, the chess board and pieces scattering to the floor as well when the table lurched.

Shuri was shocked into stillness, while T'Challa stood, immediately, looking around for an attack, his hand hovering near his chest.

"What's-"

"Everyone _calm down_…" Fury's voice cut through the startled shouts, and everybody but Strange turned to him. "Doctor? How is he?"

"Knocked out," Strange reported, a wet, cooling, cloth suddenly appearing in his hand. "He's breathing normally, though. Probably a reaction to the Bifrost if that's how Thor arrived…"

"Right." Fury looked at the assembled Avengers. "We've dealt with this _before_, people," he reminded them, calmly. "Let's not _panic_. Tony, go meet Thor."

"But-"

It was obvious he wanted to stay with Peter.

"Do what I tell you, son," Fury said, firmly. "It's your wedding and _you're_ the host. Go meet him. Make sure he knows what's going on. Bring him back here for a drink, and we'll keep him occupied while you take a minute to check on Peter – who will be in his _quarters_," he added looking at Strange and Romanoff.

Stephen nodded, and gathered Peter up into his arms before standing up, easily carrying the slight boy.

"Don't worry, Tony."

Stark looked _very_ worried, though, and he watched with his hand tightly in Pepper's as Strange hurried out of the room, Natasha right beside him.

"Your Majesty? Princess?" T'Challa turned his head from the entrance where Strange had vanished and looked at Fury, and Shuri turned from where she was still focused on the spot Peter had fallen. "Please accompany Tony to greet Thor. You are are visiting heads of state, and it'll impress on our hammer-wielding friend that you're important enough to warrant immediate introductions."

T'Challa could see the reasoning behind that, and agreed – although he was still in shock over Peter's collapse. Fury was calm, though, and exuded authority and a commanding presence. Even a king will respond to that.

"Come, Tony," the Wakandan said, gesturing to his sister to join him. "I am interested in meeting him."

Between Fury and T'Challa, Tony still might have refused. _Pepper_, however, nodded her agreement, as well, and a gentle squeeze of the hand he was holding hers with drew his attention and he finally nodded.

"Yeah. Come on. We don't want him roaming the compound." He looked at the others. "I'll bring him here. Steve? Will you set up quarters for him for the night?"

If he was here, then he was probably planning on staying until the next day, rather than popping in and out all weekend.

"Of course."

Steve left, and Tony and his little group did, as well, guided by Stark's AI to the proper entrance to greet the god of thunder before he was forced to come looking for him.

OOOOOOO

They made it as far as the corridor outside the lounge on foot, and then suddenly Natasha and Stephen – and Peter – were in the boy's quarters. As soon as she realized where they were, Romanoff hurried ahead and pulled back the blankets on Peter's bed, making room for the doctor to put the boy carefully down, propping him up with pillows that appeared from nowhere.

"Don't look so worried," Strange assured her, a bowl of cold water appearing in his hands with another cloth. "He'd going to be fine."

"He's burning up," Romanoff pointed out, her hand brushing Peter's forehead and then his cheek.

"Yes. We know what to do about it, though," he reminded her. "Let's get him undressed so we can start working on the fever before it becomes a problem."

She did what he said, but Natasha wasn't pleased with _Thor Odinson_, just then. She'd taken a fright, and _he_ should have known better than to just pop on into the compound when he knew how sensitive Peter was to his Bifrost. Of course, even as she helped Strange pull Peter's shirt off, she reminded herself that Thor didn't have a phone or something to announce he was coming, or to check in. So she wouldn't _kill_ him. She'd just give him a piece of her mind.

OOOOO

"I do not understand, Tony," Shuri said as they walked quickly through the hallways. "What _happened_?"

"I'll explain it later, Shuri," Stark promised. "But the gist is that Peter's ultra-sensitive to the magic that Thor uses to transfer from here to Asgard – and vise-versa. I should have thought of it, and kept him at the sanctum until Thor arrived."

"Will he be alright?" T'Challa asked, as they went through an exit and found themselves outside, with a very large and imposing man standing there, waiting – assuming correctly that it was easier to wait for Stark to come to him than to go looking for him.

At his feet, the grass was scarred and blackened from the power of the mode of transportation, and in his hand was his legendary hammer.

"Yeah." Despite his concern, Tony smiled as they crossed the grass to meet Thor.

The man was certainly going to stick out at his wedding. Pepper, T'Challa and Shuri all walked with him, and Thor smiled.

"Tony. It is good to see you."

"You, too, Thor. It's been too long."

He held his hand out and Thor gripped his forearm, his grip like a vise, even though Tony knew he was holding back. The god turned to Pepper, and nodded.

"Pepper. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding."

She smiled, too. It wasn't every day you got to say hello to a god, after all – and Thor was handsome and could be almost as charming as Tony when he put his mind to it.

"Thank you."

Thor looked at T'Challa and Shuri, curiously, and Stark was quick to introduce them.

"T'Challa, King of the beautiful country of Wakanda, I'd like you to meet Thor Odinson. Thor, this is T'Challa of Wakanda – and his sister, Princess Shuri."

Thor didn't offer them his hand, but he nodded, politely, his gaze instantly studying T'Challa as if to decide if this king posed him any threat, but also willing to be friends, since he was clearly someone Tony Stark liked. His gaze then went to Shuri, and she flushed, slightly, despite her concern for Peter. Thor was cute, after all, and princess or not, she was still a fangirl at heart.

"A pleasure." He looked around. "Where is your boy?"

Stark made a pained face.

"Yeah… about _that_. Come on, let's go to the lounge. The others are waiting."

He'd explain on the way and avoid any lengthy conversations about it, if he could avoid it. The sooner he turned Thor over to Fury, the sooner he and Pepper could go check on Peter.

OOOOOOO

He felt them long before he was awake enough to understand what they were saying. Peter knew someone was holding him and that there was a cold cloth sliding along his bare skin, cutting through the almost agonizing heat that seemed to be burning along his skin. That wouldn't have been unbearable, really, but he was aware of the splitting headache even before he opened his eyes, and he couldn't help the soft whimper that accompanied the pain.

"Easy…"

A hand touched his face, brushing his cheek. He didn't really recognize the touch, but he knew the voice, immediately.

"Tony?"

"Yeah, Peter. Hold still, okay?"

"Okay."

He really couldn't have moved if he wanted to. The pain had him almost paralyzed, just then. He felt a cool cloth being draped over his closed eyes, and could feel a gentle breeze from somewhere that seemed to be allowing some of the heat he was feeling to dissipate.

"How do you feel, Peter?"

That was Doctor Strange, Peter knew.

"Hot. Tired. My head hurts."

"We're working on it."

"What happened?" he asked, confused, and unable to remember anything beyond being in the lounge and thoroughly enjoying himself playing chess with T'Challa. "Did I win?"


	14. Chapter 14

Peter sighed, exasperated, even though it wasn't his fault that he was where he was, and even laid out like he was, he could understand why Thor wouldn't have been able to call ahead – even if he had considered how sensitive he was to the Bifrost. He had just felt so _good_. And had had a good day. And now he felt terrible, and he could see the worry in Tony and Pepper's faces – Natasha and Strange looked worried, too, of course, but _they_ weren't getting married in less than a day, were they? Peter knew Tony and Pepper had better things to think about just then than how he was feeling. Even worse, his tired mind brought up another concern, and he voiced it, looking at Tony as he ran a wet cloth over his bare chest.

"What are you going to tell T'Challa and Shuri?"

"I told them the _truth_," Tony said, smiling gently, dipping the cloth he was using into the water again and wiping Peter's forehead. "You're sensitive to the Bifrost and it knocked you flat. They went outside with me; anyone can see the results of the power used to get Thor here, so it's hardly a stretch of the imagination to believe it."

"And they _did_?"

"Apparently." He shrugged. "Shuri _saw_ magic – when they tried to kidnap her and hurt you. And when the cloak slapped her hand away from you."

Natasha smiled at that, wishing she'd actually been there to see it.

"Yeah."

"And she's still trying to figure out the tech. Her mind isn't going to believe in magic until she sees it incontrovertibly. Mine didn't – and neither did yours, right?"

"Right."

He'd made Doctor Strange show him several things before he believed in magic, after all.

"She might ask you, though," Pepper reminded him from her position on the edge of the bed, watching him and Tony. "Why you're sensitive to something the rest of us obviously didn't feel."

"What do I tell her?"

He was pretty much the worst liar in the world, after all.

"Just tell her that you don't know," Strange suggested. "And that we're running tests to see if we can figure it out."

"Okay."

"I need to get back to the others," Tony told him, handing the cloth to Romanoff. "They're going to want to know how you're doing."

"Yeah. Tell them I'm fine."

"One look at you and they might not believe him," Pepper said, leaning over and kissing his forehead before she stood up, as well. "You look a little dazed and a lot confused."

Which was exactly how he felt, of course. And _tired_.

"I'm okay," he repeated, giving her a smile to prove it.

Stark shook his head and looked at Strange.

"You're going to stay with him?"

"Yes."

"If anything happens, you know where to find me."

"Nothing will, Tony," the doctor assured him. "This one is an _easy_ one compared to one of the stones. The Bifrost is powerful, yes, but it was only there for an instant, and it doesn't carry the same type of power signature as the infinity stones do. Peter will be fine."

"I _will_," the boy agreed. "Don't worry about me, okay?"

Stark gave him a look – his expression a mixture of annoyance, love and something else that Peter couldn't quite read.

"It's my _job_ to worry about you, okay?" He knew that Peter would fret, though, if it showed. As far as Peter was concerned, it seemed he thought it was _his_ job to worry about everything. He did it all the time, Tony knew. Time to reassure. "But I will only worry a _little_, alright? And _you_ will only worry a little. That way _mom_ doesn't have to worry about either of us. Fair?"

Pepper rolled her eyes, but it made Peter smile – which had been the whole idea.

"Yeah."

"We'll be back later," Tony told him. "Get some sleep."

"Okay."

They left and Peter looked at Strange, who was adjusting a fan that he had set up, a gentle breeze keeping Peter cool, especially once Natasha settled herself in the spot Tony had vacated and started using that wet cloth to brush against his overheated skin.

"I'm okay? _Really_?"

Stephen nodded.

"Yes, Peter. It's not too bad. The fever is high, but we know how to fix it. Sleep will take care of your exhaustion and the headache, as well, most likely."

"I _can't_ let them worry about me," he told them both. "They're getting _married_. They shouldn't be worrying about anything."

"Then get some sleep," Strange told him, walking over and sitting on the edge of his bed, next to Natasha. "By morning, we'll make sure you're on your feet, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as the saying goes."

"Even if I'm not," Peter told him.

"Yes. We'll get them married, and send them off to their honeymoon Saturday and then whatever recovery you still need, you can do in your bed at the sanctum. Fair?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Go to sleep."

He was tired enough by then that he didn't argue that he wasn't tired, and he closed his eyes, hoping the headache would be gone when he woke up, next.

Natasha waited until she was sure he was asleep and then looked over at Strange, her hand still brushing the cool cloth over Peter to make sure they kept the fever at bay.

"He's right about not letting them worry."

"I know. He's fine, though. We'll have him on his feet in plenty of time for the ceremony."

OOOOOO

Everyone looked up when Tony and Pepper entered the lounge.

"How is he?" Fury asked.

"He's going to be fine," Stark replied, walking over to the area that several tables had been pushed together to allow them all to sit together for a communal dinner. "He was awake and talking and told me to tell you all not to worry."

"Can I go see him?" Shuri asked.

It was almost a surprising question, considering she was seated between Steve Rogers and Thor – which would be the dream of every fangirl, anywhere, Tony was certain. He shook his head.

"Not right now. Stephen wants him to sleep – to make sure he's on his feet by morning. Let's wait until then, okay?"

"I truly am sorry, Tony," Thor said – again.

"Not your fault," Stark said, meaning it, as he pulled a chair out and held it for Pepper. "We'll plan a little better, next time, is all. Peter's not going to hold a grudge, and neither are we. You're staying the night here, I assume?"

"Yes. On Asgard, a man is surrounded by his friends the night prior to his wedding. They get him drunk and tell bawdy tales until the dawn."

"You did that at the bachelor party, as I recall," Pepper said, amused at the glint of humor in Thor's expression.

"That was a rehearsal."

Pepper shook her head.

"Not this time," she said, firmly. "He is _not_ getting married with a hangover and blood-shot eyes."

Thor looked at the other men in the room.

"Well?"

"I'm _marrying_ them," Fury reminded him. "Do you really think I should be hung over?"

"I _can't_ get drunk," Steve said, shrugging. "And I think Tony here would appreciate it if the god of thunder was in a good mood and not nursing a headache tomorrow. It'll make the wedding photos look better."

"I get to be in the wedding photos?" Thor asked.

"Of course you do," Pepper assured him. "The more good-looking men, the better."

"But none of you are allowed to be better looking than _me_," Tony pointed out, waving at the bartender to advise they were ready to eat. "It's _my_ big day, tomorrow, too, after all. Let's remember that."


	15. Chapter 15

They were with him in his bed when he woke the next morning. Which didn't surprise him at all.

Peter opened his eyes, slowly, trying to get an idea of how he felt long before he was ready to start moving around. He was grateful that his head didn't ache, and while he felt warm, he assumed it was from being between Pepper and Tony, and not so much from being fevered. _They_ had blankets covering them; he only had a sheet. He was turned, slightly, onto his side, facing toward the man who had so willingly stepped up and filled all those empty spaces his father had left in him so long ago. Tony had a damp cloth in his hand, which told Peter what he'd been doing when he'd fallen asleep. The boy smiled; he was getting _married_ today.

Not that it was going to mean a big change for him, personally, but Peter knew Tony _wanted_ to be married to Pepper, and knew it was going to make him happy. The thought filled _him_ with happiness, too. As he watched, Tony opened his eyes, and looked over at the boy, still sleepy, but smiling when he saw his eyes were open.

"Are you awake?" Stark whispered, his hand automatically coming to his forehead, and Peter grinned when he got a face full of wet cloth, which Stark set aside before trying again.

"Yeah."

"How do you feel?"

"A lot better," Peter told him, honestly, also keeping his voice down to avoid waking Pepper. "Happy getting married day."

Tony smiled.

"I don't think that's a real thing, but thank you."

A movement behind him and a hand coming from the same direction unerringly finding his forehead made Stark grin and let them both know that Pepper was awake, now, too.

"How do you feel, sweetheart?"

"I'm good, mom..."

There was silence behind him, and he saw Tony's expression soften at the turn of phrase the boy used.

Pepper's arm came down around him, hugging him, closely, and he felt her press against his back for just a moment before he heard a soft sniff, as if she were fighting back tears - but not trying very hard.

"It's not much of a gift," he said, rolling in her embrace so he could face her. "Especially since it's more for _me_... but if it doesn't make you two uncomfortable… I mean, now that it's technically going to be official, and all...?"

"Peter..."

Her eyes were bright with tears, and they both held him close for a long time before they pulled away, aware that as warm as he was, the last thing that he probably needed was a hugfest.

Tony looked at his watch, clearing his throat and wiping suspicious looking moisture from his eyes and cheeks.

"Stephen is going to be here for breakfast. We'll let _him_ have the final say on how you're doing. Fair?"

"I don't have to stay in _bed_, though, do I?" Peter asked. "I feel okay, and I want to go see if Shuri's awake."

Tony frowned and lifted his head up to look over Peter and see what Pepper thought of the idea. She shrugged, silently telling him that it was up to him. Right then, she wouldn't have refused him anything. The hand went back to his forehead, and Tony shook his head.

"I suppose not. But take it easy, okay?"

"Yeah."

He got out of his bed the easy way; he simply scooted himself down toward the bottom, leaving them in possession of the bed, pulled a t-shirt from his dresser and left. Tony watched him leave, looking for any sign of injury or complication from the evening before, but he looked alright, he supposed.

"Think he's okay?" Pepper asked, shifting so that she filled the space Peter had vacated, and was now close enough for Stark to put his arms around her.

"He looks fine," he assured her. "We'll have Stephen take a look, though, just to be sure."

She nodded, smiling at him when he kissed her.

"Have I mentioned how much I love that boy?"

"Maybe once or twice."

"Two for the price of one. How lucky can a girl get?"

"Happy getting married day."

"_That's_ not a thing."

"I told Peter the same thing a few minutes, ago. It _should_ be."

"I love you, Tony."

He smiled.

"Wanna fool around before we make it official?"

"Not in _Peter's_ bed, no."

"Good point."

OOOOOO

Peter only stopped long enough to pull the t-shirt on before he left his quarters. He would be changing into wedding clothes pretty soon, so he didn't see any reason to change out of the sweats that Dr. Strange had put him in the evening before. At least, he _hoped_ it had been Dr. Strange and not Natasha. His modesty repeated that it had probably been Strange. Barefooted, he headed for the lounge, figuring that if anyone was up, that was where they were going to be. He knew that no one was working that day – at least as far as the scientists and military types. The smells coming from the area near the commissary told him that the cooks were still working, and when he entered the lounge, the first person he saw was the bartender, Deena.

_"Peter!"_

Shuri was awake. She saw him coming from the table closest to the doorway, where she had been sitting with Steve and Bruce. She jumped to her feet and hugged him, tightly, which made him smile and hug her back, of course, and roll his eyes at the grins the two men were throwing his direction.

"Hey."

She let him go, studying his face for any signs of injury.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Everything okay?"

"You _scared_ me," she told him, hitting his arm. _Hard_. "Don't ever do that, again."

"I didn't know he was coming," Peter said, rubbing his arm and walking with her over to the table. "Otherwise I'd have made myself scarce."

"Feeling okay?" Bruce asked, when the boy sat down.

"Yeah. Is Thor still here?"

"We put him up in the rooms next to T'Challa," Steve replied, also looking the boy over for any sign of lingering fever or weakness. "It'll make the wedding more interesting to have a god there, I suppose."

"Definitely."

Peter excused himself and went over to get a bottle of juice from the bar. Shuri already had a cup of tea in front of her, and Bruce and Steve both were drinking coffee. He chatted for a few minutes, assuring her that he felt fine, and then he went back to the table.

"Has this happened before?" Shuri asked, curiously. "You being injured by the magic of Thor's arrival, I mean?"

"Not _Thor_," Peter said, uncertainly. He didn't want to get into this discussion, really. "But-"

He was interrupted by the arrival of Stephen and Natasha. Both were dressed casually, but Strange had a garment bag flung over his shoulder, and the label was the same as Tony's tailor, so Peter assumed it was his tuxedo. The doctor didn't look surprised to see Peter – which told the boy that he'd probably gone to his quarters, first, and then had guessed where Peter would be. He handed his tuxedo bag to Steve, and pulled Peter back toward the bar to give them a little privacy and proceeded to ask the boy several questions about how he felt. Peter was able to answer him honestly when he said that he didn't feel too bad – and had only the slightest of headaches.

"You look pretty good," Strange agreed, checking his forehead. "Slight fever, but nothing like yesterday. Tired?"

"A little," Peter admitted, knowing he wouldn't be able to hide it. "Not too bad, though."

"Good. You'll make sure to let me know if that changes, right?"

"Yeah."

Strange smiled, his hand going to Peter's cheek, this time, and his eyes filled with affection.

"Next time, I'll bring Thor to the compound."

"Good idea."

They turned back toward the others, joining them, and Natasha smiled at Peter when he sat down between her and Shuri.

"How is he, Stephen?"

"He's _fine_." Strange took his tuxedo back from Steve with a nod of thanks. "I'd suggest that he not do anything too strenuous today, though."

"Is a wedding considered _strenuous_?" Romanoff asked, brushing her fingers through Peter's hair – which was still showing signs of bed-head.

"If it were _his_ wedding, I'd say yes," Strange said, making Shuri smile. "As it is, I think he'll survive the walk down the aisle."

"We'll keep him out of trouble," Steve assured Natasha – who would be spending the morning with Pepper and the other bridesmaids, and wouldn't be able to watch Peter, too.

"You'd better," she told them. "If he's not there when we get there, Pepper will have to find someone else to give her away. And you know she won't be happy about that."

"There's always the _wedding planner,_" Peter told her, helpfully.

Romanoff rolled her eyes and kissed the boy, soundly.

"It's a good thing I _like_ you. You _know_ that, right?"

He smiled.

"I count on it, Natasha," he told her, sincerely.


	16. Chapter 16

Because of his role in the wedding, Peter was the only male to drive to the wedding in the limousine with Pepper and her bridesmaids. He didn't mind; they were all beautiful and smelled incredible. Shuri had been invited, as well, and she sat between MJ and Natasha, wearing a formal gown from her country, which looked amazing on her, and was across from where Peter sat with Pepper beside him and her assistant on the other side and Clint's wife, Laura beside her.

"MJ?"

The girl was dressed in the same dress that Natasha and Pepper's personal assistant was wearing; a beautiful sky blue with white trim that clung to her in a way that Peter found very interesting – and that made him blush, every time he looked across the seat at her. He knew the color well since his bowtie and the cummerbund on his tuxedo matched it.

"Yes?"

"Ask Peter to tell you what he _called_ me this morning…"

The boy rolled his eyes, amused, as did everyone in the car. This wasn't the first time she'd mentioned it; Peter had heard her say the same thing over the course of breakfast and then final preparations before they'd all separated to drive to the wedding venue. She'd said it to Steve, to Bruce, several times to Tony, to Natasha, Stephen and even Shuri, once. Pretty much a million times, and it was clear that she wasn't tired of hearing it.

"What did you call her, Peter?" MJ asked, dutifully – even though she knew the answer by heart, by now.

"I'm pretty sure it was Mom. I'm not sure I remember. It was a while ago."

Pepper smiled and MJ laughed, pulling out her phone, again, and taking another photo to send to Ned and Tony.

"Not _mommy_?" the girl asked.

Peter shook his head.

"Nope. Just mom."

He was a little _old_ for mommy, and was now merged enough with that toddler version of himself that it never slipped out – although there had been a few times right after he'd been changed back that he'd find himself wanting to cuddle and would mumble the word, repeatedly, against her neck. Luckily for his sanity, Pepper had understood – as had Tony and Natasha, both of whom had been victim to Peter's demanding affections during that transitional phase, also.

He'd blush once he wrested control back, but they always hugged him, and just told him that they were glad he was back to himself, and the toddler making an appearance occasionally was a small price to pay for having him back.

"Mom is _perfect_," Pepper assured him, sincerely.

And more than she might have hoped for, even.

The women (and Peter) were in the limo – which would transport Tony and Pepper to the reception after the wedding ceremony – and after the wedding party photos, of course. Tony was driving Peter's Pontiac, with Strange and T'Challa and Okoye. He'd drive his car to the reception – probably with Ned, MJ and Shuri, if T'Challa allowed her to come, with the others going in a couple of the large SUVs that were being used to transport the rest of the bridal party.

The Pontiac was also going to be used as a prop for some of the photos, and it gleamed accordingly.

They were the last to arrive, and when Peter got out, he looked around as Happy was handing the women out of the back, one by one, helping them make sure their dresses maintained the perfection they'd started the drive with, Peter saw by the amount of cars already there that most of the guests were already seated and that Happy had pulled the limousine up to a partition that was made of several white and green silk screens that were a perfect back drop to the apple blossoms in the orchard around them. This effectively blocked the view the guests might have of the bride arriving.

There was security everywhere. Not only were there Avenger security teams – both highly visible and also mingling among the crowd – many of the rich and famous attending the wedding had brought their own, and, of course, T'Challa's personal guards were close at hand. Tony had been clear on one thing; no one was going to ruin Pepper's day.

"You okay?" Peter asked Pepper, smiling back at her once Happy handed her over to him.

He decided that she suddenly looked just a little nervous.

"Yes. Of course."

"Nervous?"

"Because I'm making an enormous commitment to the man that I love…? What's to be nervous about?"

"You'll be _fine_. He loves you, and you love him."

As if that answered everything. And really, to _Peter_, it did.

"How do _you_ feel, baby?" Natasha asked, noticing that despite the easy morning, Peter did still look a little tired.

"I'm _fine_," he assured her – and _Pepper_, who suddenly was examining him, intently. "Don't worry about me."

He rolled his eyes at Natasha, knowing she had changed the subject to him to snap Pepper out of being nervous – which was all well and good, except that then it put the attention right back on him. Ned came walking up before he could say anything, and he pulled his phone out and took a couple of pictures of Pepper,

"Holy shit, Pepper, you look gorgeous." Then he flushed, and glanced at Natasha before turning back to the bride. "_Sorry_."

Pepper laughed, not at all offended. Ned had a bit more of a potty mouth than Peter, and he sometimes would lose his filter when he was excited. Which he clearly _was_.

"It's alright, Ned. Is everyone arriving?"

"Yeah. Mr. Stark and Doctor Strange are up front, milling around and talking to Fury – who looks even more sinister in a _tuxedo_, can you believe it? Steve, Bruce and Clint are getting ready, but Clint's having some trouble with Lila, so it might be a minute. Other than that, I've seated, Bill and Melinda Gates, Elon Musk, Thor, T'Challa, of _course_, The Roc-"

"What's going on with Lila?" Natasha interrupted, concerned, before Laura could.

"I don't know," he admitted. "She's crying like crazy and says she doesn't want to be flower girl, anymore." He looked at Shuri. "I'm supposed to seat you, if you're ready?"

Shuri smiled at Pepper and the others and allowed Ned to take her arm, which he did with a flourish, before taking her out from behind the partition. Natasha looked at Peter.

"_We_ can't leave. See if you can find out what's wrong with Lila, will you?"

"Sure."

Now that Ned had mentioned it, Peter could hear the sounds of a crying fit in the slight distance, and he followed the noise to a bench still behind the partition, but much closer to the guests. Lila Barton, adorably dressed in a frilly white dress and intricate white beads braided into her hair was sitting on the bench with her father. Clint was dressed in a tuxedo identical to Peter's and was trying to talk to her, but her crying was drowning out whatever he was trying to say, her eyes were closed, and her face was a brilliant red.

Clint looked up when Peter walked over, and gave him a slight _what can you do_ smile as he gestured to her. Peter smiled, and knelt down in front of the girl, careful not to let his knee actually touch the ground and risk getting dirty.

"Lila…? What's wrong?"

She opened her eyes, which were red and filled with tears.

"I don't _want_ to be flower girl…" she answered, sobbing.

"Why not?" Peter asked, confused.

"_Because_."

A fresh round of sobs, and Peter smiled, and shooed Clint away and leaned forward, holding his arms out to her in invitation. She climbed off the bench and into his arms, and Peter picked her up and cuddled her, tucking her head under his chin before he sat down on the bench and rocked her while she cried on him.

"Are you _nervous_?" he asked, once her sobs had died to sniffles and the occasional hiccup.

"No."

"_I_ am," he admitted. "All those _people_. What if I trip, or something? Or I don't know where to _go_?"

"You go down the aisle," she told him, sniffing again, and clinging to him.

"But what if I _forget_?" Peter told her, gently. "I was counting on you to show me where to go. Like that planning guy told us, _you're_ supposed to lead the way."

"But I don't want to…" she said, softly. "What if I do it wrong?"

He pulled back so he could see her face, which was tear-streaked.

"You _can't_ do it wrong. I saw you practicing. You were _perfect_." He let her go, with her still in his lap, and moved his hands, pretending to sweep flowers out of the basket and lay them on the ground. "Like _that_, remember?"

"Yeah…" she wiped her eyes.

"Do you remember what Nick's signal is?"

She made an okay sign with her fingers.

"You've got it down," he assured her. "Probably the best flower girl _ever_, I bet."

She leaned her head back against his chest and sighed, much calmer, now.

"Maybe…"

"When I sit down – after I hand Pepper over to Tony – why don't you sit with me and keep me company during the ceremony?"

"Can I?"

"Of course. Right, Clint?"

"Anything you want, Lila _Delilah_."

She smiled.

"Okay."

Clint pulled her off Peter's lap and hugged her and kissed her.

"Go find mom, okay? She'll make sure you're in the right spot."

And hopefully had some tissues to wipe her face and nose.

"Okay."

She ran off, basket bouncing against her leg, and Clint shook his head.

"Pretty smooth, Peter Pony."

Peter shrugged and stood up, checking to see how much damage had been done to his tuxedo from having been cried on.

"Just showing you how it's done, Arrow Guy."

Only the fact that the two of them were dressed up stopped Clint from tackling him right then and there – that and the sudden sound of the organ changing.

"We'd better get going," Clint said. "I think we're about to start."


	17. Chapter 17

"They're here," Tony said, standing up, again, and looking down the aisle toward the large screens that blocked off the far end of the orchard from this side – effectively keeping him from seeing the limo that he knew had just pulled up and was even now probably depositing Pepper and the others at the venue.

"Good. Then it shouldn't be too much longer." Strange looked at his watch, and then smiled when Tony started pacing. "_Relax_, will you? You're making me nervous."

"I'm fine," his friend told him. "Just… things always have a way of going _wrong_ for me, sometimes, and I don't want this to be one of those times. I want it to happen."

"Oh, it's going to _happen_, Tony," Fury told him, also standing at the front of the chairs, watching Stark. "It'll happen even if I have to tie you to the arch, here, and then drag Pepper down the aisle to join you and tie _her_ up, too. I didn't write this speech for nothing, after all."

Strange smiled.

"Everyone's settling in."

"Have we figured out why Lila's crying?" he asked, watching as Ned went back behind the partition.

"She does not want to be a flower girl," T'Challa said from the seat he'd been given in the middle of the front row of chairs on what was typically the groom's side, from what he had been told by Ned – who had seated him. "At least, that is what I heard her say as I walked by."

Thor was also seated in the front row, watching the proceedings with interest. Over breakfast, the others had explained how the ceremony worked – and Peter had been quick to say that even though Nick was going to ask if anyone objected to Tony and Pepper getting married, no one actually speak up, so he didn't need to look at them all, threateningly.

"I do not understand the need for a flower girl, anyway," the god of thunder said, shaking his head. "Asgardian weddings have a _brew master_."

"I could use a drink," Tony said, softly.

"It's just nerves," Stephen assured him. "She'll be fine, now that her mother is here to straighten her out – and so will _you_."

Tony watched the crowd, trying not to look nervous, and smiling to those who were catching his eye as they were being seated. He looked at his watch; it shouldn't be too much longer. He saw Ned walking down the aisle, now with Shuri on his arm, grinning as he nodded greetings to people already seated – many of whom he'd seated himself. Tony smiled; well aware that Ned was having a great time being an usher – and it suited his outgoing personality.

Shuri smiled at Tony and Strange as Ned showed her to the seat next to her brother.

"How was the drive?" Stark asked the princess.

"It went well. I think everyone is here, now."

Then, suddenly there was a wave from the wedding planner, and Stark, Strange and Fury – who were the ones in the right position to see it – suddenly saw Lila standing at the beginning of the aisle, holding her basket of flowers. Fury nodded to the organist, the music changed, and all talking ceased as everyone who was supposed to be in a chair but wasn't, suddenly found their seats.

"Tell me you have the rings?" Tony murmured to Stephen, who smiled and put his hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"Even if I _didn't_ have them, they'd be in my hands in an instant," he assured Stark. "I'm not going to let _anything_ go wrong. Believe me."

Nick Fury moved to stand under the arch. He was dressed all in black. A tuxedo with a dark shirt instead of the white that the others were wearing, and a black tie instead of a bowtie. No one minded; and even if they did, no one would dream of mentioning it to Fury. He nodded over to Stark and Strange, and both men went to join him, standing exactly where they were supposed to. Fury waited until everyone had seated themselves – aside from the Wakandan guards standing to the far side of the row T'Challa Shuri were seated in – and then he flashed Lila the OK sign with his fingers – just as the music changed, once more.

Tony drew a deep breath, watching as the scene in front of him unfolded. Lila smiled, with no sign of her earlier meltdown, walked slowly down the aisle toward Tony, tossing flower petals from her basket every other step. The photographer took several photos of her – and of Natasha, who followed, moving with the graceful ease that made Tony smile.

She grinned at him – probably well aware that he was nervous and trying to relax him – and right behind her came his friends, each with one of the bridesmaids on his arm. They all came up, and separated, taking their places and leaving the entire venue waiting, holding their breaths, collectively.

The music changed once more, and suddenly there they were. Peter, looking proud, dressed up and trying to stand a little taller to give himself a couple more inches of height, and Pepper beside him, her arm tucked under his elbow, looking more beautiful and elegant than ever – which was saying _something_, since he thought she was the most amazing woman, ever.

The crowd stood as Peter and Pepper made their way down the aisle, Peter holding her arm, steadying her the one time her sandal heel found a soft spot, but the boy keeping anyone from being able to tell unless they knew Pepper well enough to have seen the mis-step. They came forward, and Peter smiled at Tony, his eyes lit up from the excitement of the day. As he had been carefully coached, he handed Pepper off to Tony with a kiss to her cheek and an irreverent grin. Then he went over and took the chair right up front, next to Shuri.

Tony smiled at Pepper, feeling his heart jump in his chest from happiness, and watching as Lila Barton dropped her basket and went to stand in front of Peter, leaning back against him.

"You may be seated," came Fury's deep voice.

Everyone sat down, and Lila climbed into Peter's lap, resting her cheek against the boy's chest, while he tucked her head under his chin, and whispered something in her ear that made her smile. Fury looked at Pepper, and then at Tony, his expression proud and his demeanor making sure they both understood just how happy he was for them.

"Marriage is a _commitment_," he told the crowd, his voice carrying easily, even to those seated in the back. "A promise to one another – and to those that love them. A confirmation that you will be there for the other, through the good, and the bad – and all that falls between. Anthony and Virginia have declared their intention to make that commitment to each other – and to their _son_ – and you are all here to join them in that celebration, and that bonding. Does anyone have any reason that these two should _not_ be married?"

He gave the crowd a moment, but even if someone didn't want it to happen, the very thought of saying anything with Fury standing right there, watching, would have silenced them. At that moment, Nick Fury was probably more dangerous than Natasha Romanoff. Then he nodded to Strange, who handed him two rings, which Fury held up, one in each hand, and showed the watchers.

"A ring. A simple circle of metal. It is also never ending and _unbroken_, like love should be, and _infinite_, as patience, and kindness should be. A symbol of harmony. Of Friendship. And a token telling anyone who sees it that the bearer has given themselves to someone else, and holds that commitment firm."

He handed Tony's ring to Pepper, who took it from him, and turned to Tony with a smile.

"Tony. You're an amazing man, and I truly love you with all of my heart. You make me happy, and you always know what to say when I need bolstering. I will love you, always, and cherish our time together."

With those simple words, she slid his ring on his finger, and he smiled at her, once more wondering how he'd managed to hold onto her when every other person in the world seemed to have given up on him. Fury handed Tony the ring he and Peter had offered her, and he glanced over at the boy for just a moment – noticing that Lila had fallen asleep in his arms – and turned back to the woman he was going to make his wife.

"Pepper. You're the most patient, and kind, and beautiful, and understanding woman I've ever met. You've forgiven me for things that no one should ever have to deal with, and you've given me the thing I need most – even before I _knew_ I needed it. Your love. I don't deserve it, but I'm so grateful to you for being there for me all this time. I will never hurt you, and I will never stop loving you."

He slid the ring on her finger.

Fury turned to Pepper.

"Virginia Potts. Will you take Anthony to be your husband? Will you love him? Cherish him? Will you hold him to your heart for the rest of your days?"

"I will."

He smiled, and then turned to Tony.

"Anthony Stark. Will you take Virginia to be your wife? Will you love her? Cherish her? Will you hold her to your heart the rest of your days?"

"I will."

Fury nodded.

"Then by the power vested in me. Anthony and Virginia… _Tony_ and _Pepper_. I now pronounce you husband and wife. Tony? You may kiss your bride."

Stark grinned and he cupped Pepper's face, tenderly, the metal of his new wedding band glinting in the sun of the first day of summer – and the first day of their married life together – and he leaned into her and kissed her, softly, smiling against her lips and whispering, softly, so only Fury - and maybe Strange and Romanoff - could hear.

_"There are _no _take-backs."_

Pepper smiled, and shook her head, and then turned and looked at the crowd, holding Tony's hand.

Fury raised his hands, slightly.

"My friends. Allow me to introduce _Mr. and Mrs. Tony Stark."_

The watching crowd cheered, standing up, and watched as Tony escorted his bride down the aisle, followed by the rest of the wedding party, and then Peter, carrying the still sleeping flower girl.


	18. Chapter 18

"This is _ridiculous_…"

Tony grinned, catching Pepper as she slid off the hood of the Pontiac – again.

"If I'd have known you wanted to _sit_ on it, I wouldn't have allowed Peter to _wax_ it," he told her, watching as other bridesmaids all tried to arrange themselves on the hood, as well, with varying degrees of success.

Peter had caught MJ three times. Laura Barton had almost slipped off backward when Clint had picked her up and bodily set her on the edge – only to have been caught by her husband before it had happened, and only Bruce's quick reflexes had stopped Pepper's assistant from doing the same on the other side. Natasha was the only one who was firmly in place – although Strange had a hand resting on the hood of the car, bracing her hip against it to keep her from sliding. Lila was sitting on the bumper, out of the way and enjoying herself, now that the stress of being world's greatest flower girl was past.

"It's too pretty _not_ to use," she said, smiling at the way Peter preened at having his car being the centerpiece of the bridal photos. With the backdrop of the orchard, it was definitely worth trying, anyway. "Maybe we can _stand_ around it…"

"We could just have the men holding the women," the photographer suggested, gesturing to the way Strange had Natasha braced. "Will it damage the hood to have all the women sitting on it with the men standing to the sides as needed?"

"No," Peter said, shaking his head. "It's pretty solid."

That was what they did, then, and it worked well. The photos were taken while the rest of the wedding guests slowly trickled out of the venue and headed for the reception. It was tradition that the groom and bride arrive last, so there really wasn't any hurry to rush through the photos. Which was a good thing, because not only were the official members of the bridal party photographed, but Thor, T'Challa and Shuri were added in, as well, with the photographer offering suggestions, even though he was clearly awed to be taking pictures of the god of thunder.

Thor, being Thor, didn't understand what was so prized about the car, but Tony was his friend – as were the other Avengers – and if they wanted to pose him in front of the vehicle, then it was fine. He smiled at Steve, and seated himself on the hood, with a foot down on the ground to brace himself from sliding off, and set his hammer beside him, the metal side down, with a soft clang of metal on metal.

"I still say there should be a _brew master_," he said, looking at the others. "But the ceremony was interesting. What happens if someone actually objects to the marriage?"

"I'm not sure," Bruce admitted, turning his attention to Peter, who had scowled and pulled Thor's hammer off the hood of his father's car and set it on the ground, then examined the gleaming red finish for any sign of scratches from the god of thunder's cavalier treatment of his car.

Banner turned to Tony, who had been watching Peter because he _always_ watched Peter – at least he was just _then_, since Pepper was talking to Natasha near the back of the car – and saw his own surprise echoed in Tony's expression. Steve and Clint had also frozen, although Peter and Thor were both oblivious, and Stephen hadn't realized the significance, just then. No one else had seen it, being on the wrong side of the car, or too caught up in their own conversations at that moment.

As if he realized something had happened, Peter looked up, wondering at the odd expressions of the guys watching him.

"What?"

"Nothing," Tony said, smiling, and shaking his head. "I was just wondering if you'd mind getting a picture of you and Thor…?"

He nodded, looking at Thor, who also agreed. The two posed in front of the car for the photographer, and Clint and the others gathered around Tony, still looking at the boy.

"Did he just-?" Clint asked.

"Yeah…" Stark interrupted. "At least I _think_ he did."

"He _did_," Steve said.

"Did _what_?" Stephen asked, frowning and wondering if someone had spiked their water bottles, or something.

They were all acting so odd.

"We'll talk about it later," Tony decided, shaking his head and turning to other things that were important, right now. "Let's wrap up here and get to the reception."

"Talk about _what_?" Strange asked, scowling.

He hated not knowing what was going on.

OOOOOO

"That went pretty well, huh?" Peter said as they buckled themselves into his car much later.

Shuri nodded, smiling.

"It was _beautiful_."

MJ nodded her agreement.

"I can't believe they actually got _married_," Ned said, shaking his head. "I _really_ expected some evil villain to swoop in and disrupt it all – especially when Fury ask if anyone objected. If it was a movie, that would have been when it happened."

Peter grinned, watching in the rearview mirror as the SUV Steve was driving pulled in behind him. T'Challa was riding in that one, so he wasn't too surprised that they were right behind them. He'd offered the Wakandan king a ride in his car, but the man had declined, stating that he wanted to talk to Clint and Natasha, since they would be flying Peter to Wakanda when it was time to join Pepper and Tony.

"I think Nick would have pulled out a rocket launcher or something and shot him down and then just continued the ceremony like nothing happened."

"Yeah. True."

"They leave for Wakanda tomorrow?" MJ asked Shuri.

"Yes. Tomorrow evening. T'Challa has arranged a very nice villa for them to stay in, with as much entertainment as they would like – or none, if they prefer. They will see much of my country before Peter comes, but we will save the really interesting things for all three."

"Is he allowed to take photos for us?" Ned asked. "Or is it going to be all hush hush because of how isolationist you guys are?"

"I think we will survive a few photos."

She had several of the Avenger's compound, after all, and none of them had complained.

OOOOOOOO

"This is a lot like the Avenger ball," Ned said, looking around when they arrived at the reception.

"Yeah."

Peter had to agree, even though there were many more famous people, now, and there hadn't been a magnificent wedding cake on a table in to one side. The lighting was similar, there was a large dance floor, tables that were set up for the dinner that would start not long after Pepper and Tony were formally introduced to their friends, again, and a bar that was getting a lot of business. This time, however, there was an actual DJ, since Friday wasn't wired into the place.

"What do we do here?" Shuri asked, curiously. "Is there another _ceremony_?"

"Not really," Peter said. "The guests mingle – like we are, right now – and we wait for Tony and Pepper to arrive. We get seated for dinner and someone will formally introduce them – like how Nick did at the end of the wedding. Then _I_ make a speech, since I am filling the role as father of the bride – thanks for coming and all of that. We eat. There are toasts to the bride and groom, and then when we're finished eating, Tony and Pepper have a dance together. After that, we all can dance, until it's time to cut the cake. We have cake, more dancing. Pepper throws the bouquet, Tony throws the garter – whoever catches them dances together and then people can start leaving whenever they're ready."

"Sounds like fun."

Peter nodded, looking around.

"It should be."

"And it gives us a chance to show off our dance moves," Ned told her. "Your brother will let you dance with us, right?"

"I am looking forward to it," she assured him. She turned to Peter. "And you will dance, as well?"

"If we can get him away from Lila," Ned said, grinning.

Peter rolled his eyes, but he knew it was true. He didn't mind; but the look he gave MJ told him that he definitely intended to save a few dances for her. Which made her smile.


	19. Chapter 19

After the stress of worrying about the wedding coming out perfect, the reception was a good time, allowing Tony and Pepper both a chance to relax and spend time with their friends before they left for their honeymoon the next day.

Everyone was seated when they were led in and formally introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Stark, once more, and then they walked over and joined the others at the long tables that went to one side of the large dance floor. Pepper was seated by Peter, while Tony had Fury next to him.

"I believe you have a speech to give before we're allowed to _eat_, young man," Nick said, pointedly to Peter, who smiled.

All eyes were on him when he stood, and he was given a microphone by the DJ since it was a large room and he didn't have the commanding presence that Fury did to make everyone listen to him. He looked at the crowd, a guestlist of who's who in the scientific, commerce and entertainment communities, and then turned to look at the table that held the Avengers, the magicians, Thor, the Wakandans, Ned, MJ and finally Tony and Pepper, and he smiled, forgetting the speech that he had been working on so carefully for the past week as he turned back to look at the tables of guests.

"As _father_ _of the bride_," he said, grinning at the chuckles the statement brought. "It's my job to tell everyone thank you for coming. So, _thank you_. I'm glad that you were all here to see what _I_ saw, and were witnesses to the joining of two people who mean so much to me."

He turned back to Tony and Pepper.

"Mom. Dad." He paused, watching as Tony smiled and put his arm around Pepper's shoulder, and she reached up for the hand that was near her collarbone. A slight surge of pure happiness went through him when he said it, knowing that it was something they'd never deny him. "We haven't been together that long, really – although it seems so much longer. You have both been with me through some pretty tough times, and you've always been there when I've needed you. You've always been so willing to give me whatever it is I needed. Love, support, guidance, a _home_."

Peter felt the sting of tears at that single word.

"I can't tell you how happy that I am when I look at the two of you and know that you're _exactly_ where you want to be Where you are _supposed_ to be. And I just want you to know that I love you both."

He turned back to the DJ and handed him the microphone, and dinner was announced to a round of gentle applause as he sat down. Pepper leaned over and kissed his cheek, while Tony reached over to brush his hand against the back of Peter's head.

"We love you, too," Pepper murmured, holding him for just a moment.

He smiled, knowing the truth of that statement.

They ate their meal, which was amazing, considering it had been prepared for more than 200 people, and the conversation at the table was light and comfortable – mostly about Wakanda and what they would be doing, which meant that T'Challa was the center of the discussion. The young king assured those who asked that there would be plenty for Pepper and Tony to do and see while they were staying there.

"You could go see Peter's vibranium mine," Shuri suggested, making Pepper smile.

"We can do that when he comes to join us," she reminded the princess, as the waitstaff began clearing the tables as the meals was finished.

People were in no hurry, though, enjoying the fact that they were with friends and family and nearly everyone there had made sure to allow themselves the entire day.

Like Peter had told Shuri, there were toasts made. Strange waited until the last of the dinner plates were cleared and picked up his Champaign. With a flourish, he toasted his friend Tony Stark, and Tony's lovely bride – who must be crazy, but was clearly in love. Then Natasha made a toast, and several of the others added their own, clearly enjoying themselves.

When everyone who wanted to say something had their chance, the DJ announced the first dance of the reception, and Tony stood and offered his hand to Pepper, leading her out to the dance floor. Peter heard MJ sigh beside him, and to his surprise, she put her arms through his and leaned against him, watching as Stark pulled Pepper into his arms and led her around the floor, both moving easily with the other.

"They're so lucky," she said softly.

He blushed, but nodded.

"Yeah. This has been a long time coming. I'm glad for them."

"So am I." she smiled. "Can I have first dance with you, since they aren't doing a mother/son, father/daughter one?"

He blushed, again, but nodded.

"Yeah. Of course."

Instead of the traditional one of mother of the groom/son, father of the bride/daughter, Tony was going to dance with Natasha, Pepper's maid of honor, while Strange – as Tony's best man – was going to partner Pepper. It worked out well that way, and Peter found himself holding MJ's hand while the first song ended, and Stephen and Natasha went to claim their partners for the next. He wondered what Natasha said to Tony that made both of them chuckle, and decided he probably didn't _want_ to know what Stephen had told Pepper that left her blushing almost as red as Peter was, just then.

When the song ended, the DJ invited anyone who wanted to dance to join in, and Peter led MJ out onto the dance floor.

"Did you have a good time?" he asked her as they settled into the rhythm of the song.

"Of _course_." She shook her head. Who wouldn't have? "You _know_ how much Ned wishes we were still in school so he could go in on Monday and tell everyone about who all he's met today."

"Yeah."

Peter looked for his friend and found him dancing with a blonde he didn't recognize. Probably someone he'd seated before the wedding. Ned was a lot more outgoing than Peter was, he knew.

"You look _tired_," MJ decided, watching him. "Are you sure you're okay from the Thor thing?"

"What? Oh. No. Yeah. It's just been a long week, is all. I'm fine."

"When do you go to the sanctum?"

"Tomorrow night, after Tony and Pepper leave with Shuri and T'Challa."

"Don't forget where I _live_," she teased. "You can come visit me since you'll be so close."

He smiled, and, _predictably_, he blushed at the invitation.

"Thanks. I will."

MJ shook her head, amused.

OOOOOO

"Is he alright?"

Tony looked down at the boy, sleeping with his head on his leg, and nodded.

"He's fine, Natasha. Just wiped out, I think. It's been a long day, and he's still not completely over what the Bifrost did to him."

Peter had made it through the dancing. He'd made it through cutting of the cake and had watched with the others as Pepper had thrown the bouquet – which had been caught by Shuri, who hadn't even understood the significance of the tradition – and then watched as Ned caught the garter, which had made everyone smile. The boy had claimed Shuri as his dance partner and the reception started breaking up a little, with many of those who were planning on going home that evening leaving after a final congratulation to the bride and groom, who had seated themselves on a comfortable leather sofa to rest from their busy day.

Peter had joined them there, looking pleased, but weary, and the boy assured them, repeatedly, that he was fine and wasn't tired at all. And then had fallen asleep almost immediately, using his second favorite pillow. (The _first_ had been dancing with Stephen Strange at the moment). Tony hadn't bothered to wake him. He'd simply rested a hand on Peter's shoulder, kept the other firmly in Pepper's, and had stayed put to allowed his friends to come find him and say goodbye as they left in pairs and small groups.

"I'll take him home," she offered.

Tony shook his head. He knew perfectly well that Romanoff had intended to go to the sanctum with Strange after the reception. Happy was going to take Tony and Pepper, who were going to spend some time by themselves in their quarters that evening and Ned's mom had already said they could take MJ home.

"Steve can take him. He's already offered."

She smiled.

"He just wants a chance to drive the Pontiac."

There was no way they were going to let Peter drive himself as tired as he was, even if he woke up.

"Probably."

"Did he _really_ lift Thor's hammer?" she asked, softly. "Bruce mentioned it."

Stark nodded.

"Scowled at the god of thunder and pulled it off the hood of his car without a word."

"What did _Thor_ say?"

"I'm pretty sure that he didn't even noticed. I might ask about it in the morning, though, before he leaves – just to see if Peter can do it again."

"Well, don't do it until we get back. Okay?"

Tony nodded.

"Don't dawdle."


	20. Chapter 20

Peter woke the day after the wedding in his own bed in his quarters at the compound, with no real memory of getting there.

He sat up, stretching, and looked around, trying to decide if he'd slept-walked. It didn't seem too feasible, though, since as far as he could remember, he'd never slept-walked _into_ his own bed. He looked down at himself and saw he was wearing the t-shirt that he'd worn under his tuxedo and had boxers on, and vaguely remembered telling Steve Rogers that he was awake and could drive himself.

"Karen?"

"_Yes?"_

"How did I get here and when?"

"_Steve Rogers carried you in and put you to be at 11:27 PM."_

He looked at his watch, suddenly worried.

"Are Tony and Pepper still here?"

What if they'd had a change in schedule and had left before he had a chance to see them?

"_Friday says they are in their rooms."_

That was one less relief.

"Is anyone up?" He held up his hand. "_Wait_." Karen would name everyone in the compound that was up and about. She wasn't interactive with the whole place, but through Friday – who she had instant access to – she was always able to tell him who was where, if he asked. But he didn't care if the _janitor_ was awake, just then. "Is anyone in the lounge? Other than the bartenders and the people that are working?"

"_The lounge is empty at this time."_

"Thank you."

He knew he didn't _have_ to say it, since he wasn't going to hurt her feelings if he didn't – just like he knew Karen wasn't really a _her_ – but he'd been taught _some_ manners, and he usually used them whenever he interacted with someone.

"_You're welcome."_

Peter took his time getting up and around. He went and took a shower, changing out of the clothes left over from the day before and was somewhat relieved to put jeans and a t-shirt on instead of the dress clothes, which he found neatly draped over the back of his sofa on his way to the bathroom. He hung them up, figuring it would be easier to do that than listen to anyone complain if they managed to get wrinkled.

When he was ready for his day, he headed for the lounge, thinking that he'd find something to eat – since he hadn't eaten anything since the reception – and that that was where Tony and Pepper would end up eventually. If they were willing, he wanted to spend a little time with them before they left for Wakanda with Shuri and T'Challa. Two weeks was a long time, after all.

OOOOOOO

Surprising him, Tony was in the lounge when he walked in. He wasn't alone, either. Thor and Steve Rogers were there, as was Natasha and Doctor Strange. They all looked up when he arrived, and he waved a hello at them, but went over to the bar, first, and asked for a bottle of orange juice and a donut or pastry to tide him over until breakfast. While he was waiting, he found himself engulfed in the Cloak of Levitation, which was crooning cheerfully in his mind and greeting him with its own variation of a good morning. Which always made the boy smile.

The bartender shook his head, amused by what a person could get used to, and handed Peter a plate with a few sprinkled donuts and a bottle of juice, which he carried over to the table. He noticed Thor had put his hammer on the table in front of him and wondered, idly, if the god of thunder slept with the thing under his pillow. That visualization made him smile, and he was still smiling when he greeted everyone.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Natasha said when he sat between her and Tony.

"Good morning."

"How do you feel?" Stark asked him, his eyes looking him over, automatically checking for any lingering tiredness in the boy's expression, even as his hand came up to his forehead and cheek for fever.

Peter rolled his eyes, good-naturedly, wondering how old he'd be before that stopped being a thing. He wouldn't be able to do it when he was at college, after all – but maybe he'd do it if he came home for Spring Break?

"I'm fine. When did I fall asleep?"

"Sometime after the cake and before the final dance."

"Sorry about that."

Tony smiled.

"Don't be. Did you have a good time, yesterday?"

"Yeah. Where's Pepper?"

"Your _mom_," he said, drawling out the word to remind the boy that the title wasn't just a one-day thing. "Is still lounging in bed, being lazy. She said she will join us for breakfast."

Peter grinned.

"Okay."

"Tony tells me you lifted Mjolnir yesterday," Thor said to the boy, his blue eyes piercing as he looked at him. Now it was _Tony's_ turn to roll his eyes; he'd been planning to start that particular discussion a little later, really, but should have known Thor would want to address it, immediately. He wasn't the_ god of being patient_, after all. "Is that _true_?"

"Oh." Peter hesitated, wondering if he'd annoyed him. "Yeah, well, you put it on the hood of my _car_. I just set it on the ground, is all. I didn't want it to scratch the paint."

"You picked it up?" Thor clarified.

"Yeah. I mean, my hands were _clean_, and I didn't wave it around, or anything. I just wanted to move it out of the way."

"I would like to see that for myself," the god of thunder rumbled in his deep voice. He gestured to the hammer sitting in front of him, and Peter hesitated, the cloak crooning, happily, in his mind, reminding him that it wouldn't let anyone mess with him while it was wrapped around him.

Not that Peter was worried about Thor as a threat. Yes, he was the _god of thunder_, but look who was sitting with him.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No." Thor looked confused, and Natasha looked amused. The others were just watching, silently. "I want to see you move it, Peter."

He looked over at Tony, who nodded, gave a purely mental shrug and reached over and picked the hammer up, handing it to Thor, who took it from him with a clearly shocked expression.

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"No one can lift Mjolnir."

"Looks like Peter gets to rule Asgard," Natasha said, reaching out and running her fingers through the boy's hair, amused. "Can I be a palace guard, Peter?"

The boy frowned.

"What are you talking about? _Anyone_ can do that. They just aren't able to pick it up - you know, over their heads, or whatever."

"No," Thor said. "They cannot." He looked at his hammer and handed it back to Peter. "Which makes me wonder why _you_ can."

Peter shrugged, offering it back to Thor. He certainly didn't want to keep it.

"It _likes_ me. I just assumed it doesn't like people waving it around – or _you_ don't. I just wanted it off my car."

Thor took his hammer back, and set it on the floor next to his boot.

"What do you mean, it _likes_ you?"

"Like Dr. Strange's cloak."

"It talks to you?" Strange asked, curiously, understanding better why everyone had looked so flabbergasted the day before.

"No. I just feel it."

"Like the cloak?"

"Not really. It's not the same, exactly. They seem to have the same _alignment - _neutral good_ -_ but the hammer is a bit standoffish. It's more like how you'd say hi to a stranger on the bus – but one that you see every day. If that makes sense?"

"Not really."

"It's not going to start _following_ him around too, is it?" Stark asked Strange.

Thor scowled.

"It's my hammer."

"I'm sorry if I offended you," Peter told him, sincerely, moving his head, slightly, when the cloak caressed his cheek. "I won't pick it up, again. Like I said, I just assumed no one could lift it above their heads, or throw it around like you do – or, you know, call lightning, that kind of thing."

He just hadn't wanted to worry about his paintjob.

"I'm not offended, Peter," Thor told him. "Just surprised."

"Oh."

He didn't look convinced, but Tony smiled and ruffled his hair, affectionately.

"Don't worry about it, Peter. You don't _really_ want to rule Asgard, right?"

"No. Of course not."

"Why don't you go see if Pepper's ready for breakfast?" Tony suggested. "I know she wants to spend some time with you this morning before we go to Wakanda."

"Yeah."

With the cloak still hitching a ride, Peter grabbed a donut from his plate and took his orange juice and left, leaving a table-full of adults watching him.

"Well. _That_ just happened," Steve said, shaking his head, torn between amusement and amazement.

"Yeah." Natasha had her own doubts about _Steve_, though, when it came to Thor's hammer. She'd seen the hammer move when Rogers had 'tried' to lift it the same night everyone else had, and she was fairly certain Mjolnir wasn't quite as exclusive as Thor would have preferred. Of course, _Steve_ didn't want to rule Asgard any more than Peter did, she was sure. "Interesting, huh?"

"Annoying, is more like it," Thor said.

Strange shrugged.

"It has a magical annotation," the sorcerer reminded him. "Peter has a special connection with almost all things _magic_. It's not like he did it on purpose."

"He's not going to have any side-affects from touching the thing?" Stark asked Thor.

"No. Of course not."

"Good. I don't want to have to worry about him any more than usual while I'm gone."

"You don't need to worry about him at all, Tony," Strange reminded him.

The billionaire smiled at his friend.

"It's my job to."

And he embraced it, willingly.


	21. Chapter 21

Pepper wasn't in bed. She was in the living room of their quarters, sitting on the sofa and waking up with a cup of coffee and the morning news. Not only awake, but dressed casually in slacks and a blouse, since they were going to be traveling, later, and even the most comfortable flight is less comfortable in formal clothing. She knew from experience. The knock on her door told her someone was there, and Friday told her who it _was_. She smiled when he poked his head carefully into the room.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course."

She patted the spot beside her, and the boy walked over and sat next to her.

"Tony said you were in bed, still, and going to stay that way until breakfast."

Pepper smiled, and reached for his forehead, deciding that he didn't look quite so tired that morning.

"I _thought_ about it," she admitted. "How do you feel? Better?"

"Yeah, mom," he told her, smiling at the reaction she had to that one single word. "I'm sorry I fell asleep on you guys, yesterday. I don't even remember coming home."

"Steve drove you," Pepper told him, putting her arms around him and pulling him close, suddenly wanting to cuddle. "A_fter_ you argued with him that you weren't tired, and then fell right back to sleep the minute Tony put you in the car."

Peter shook his head.

"It's a good thing he didn't listen to me, I guess."

"You can be stubborn, sometimes," she agreed. "But I love that about you, so don't try to change, okay?"

"Yeah." He buried his face into her shoulder, realizing that he wasn't going to get to hug her for two weeks. It hadn't seemed all that long, _before_, but now it was looming in front of him, and it was longer than he'd ever been away from her and Tony since May's passing. He tried to take his mind off the loneliness that welled up inside him at the thought, well aware that he was being dumb, since he wasn't going to be _alone_, at all. "Did it feel any different to wake up today as Pepper _Stark_?"

"A _little_," she admitted. "Don't tell Tony, but I almost expected something to happen, yesterday, to stop it from happening."

Peter chuckled.

"Ned said the same thing. We were pretty surprised that my bad luck didn't hit you two – especially when Nick seemed to challenge it with the question about anyone objecting to the marriage. I'm really happy for you."

"You're not bad luck," she chided. "And you don't _have_ bad luck, either."

He didn't argue with her, but he figured that that was one of those _facts speak for themselves_ kind of things.

"I was sent to see if you're ready for breakfast," Peter told her. "Are you?"

"I am." She didn't get up, though, and she didn't relinquish her hold on him. "I'm going to miss you, so much."

Peter sniffed, and he felt her hold tighten a little when she realized that _he_ was going to miss her, too.

OOOOOOO

There were more people in the lounge when Peter finally reappeared, this time with Pepper. Stark smiled to see them walk in together, reminded immediately of the sight of them walking toward him down the aisle the previous day, and he wasn't the only one to stand when they reached the corner where the tables had been pushed together once more.

Shuri and T'Challa were there, too, now – as was Bruce.

"Good morning, _Mrs. Stark_," T'Challa said greeting her as she sat beside Tony and he reclaimed his seat, with Peter moving to sit in the chair Shuri was clearly saving for him. "How are you this morning?"

She wasn't the only one to smile at the title. Tony did, as well.

"I'm good, thank you, T'Challa. You?"

"Well, thank you."

She decided that the tough part about being a _king_ was probably trying to make small talk when everything sounded regal. It amused her.

"We are excited to show you our country," Shuri told her, looking at her and Tony, both, before turning to Peter, to include him in the conversation. "And you can meet my mother."

"I'm looking forward to it," Pepper assured her.

"When are you leaving?" Peter asked, glancing at T'Challa, and then Okoye, and wondering who made the decision; the king or the security team.

"The jet is ready," Okoye answered.

"But we are not leaving until after _lunch_," T'Challa said, kindly, noticing that Peter looked almost stricken at the mention of everything being ready – as if he thought they were going to go immediately. The king was incredibly good at reading people, but he didn't _need_ to be to see that Peter was not excited about them leaving. And by _them_, his mind immediately put Tony and Pepper into that category. "I was promised a barbeque, and do not want to miss out on the opportunity."

Strange rolled his eyes, good-naturedly, and Peter was forced to smile at that.

"Yeah. They do them pretty well around here."

"I hope you don't have any plans for this morning," Tony told the boy, speaking up.

"Why?"

"Because we have a _million_ wedding gifts to sort through, and _you_ get to help us."

And _he_ hadn't missed the stricken look on Peter's face, either. He wanted to spend time with the boy before they left. Him and Pepper, only, just to make sure he was alright. Sorting presents was the best way to do it, because it would put them in the same room for as long as it held their attention – and Pepper had mentioned the night before that it needed to be done.

Two birds with one stone.

Peter just nodded, glancing at Shuri, and hoping that she'd understand. Which she did.

"Then you can tell me what they thought of ours when I see you at the barbeque," she said.

"Is it a polymorph like you made Peter?" Tony asked, hopefully.

"No."

"_Damn."_

Natasha smiled, looking at Steve, but he didn't mention the curse.

OOOOOOO

There was a mountain of presents. They were in the living room of Stark's quarters when Tony and Pepper walked in with Peter after breakfast. Since they hadn't been there when Peter had come, earlier, he guessed, correctly, that Pepper or Tony had asked to have them brought there while they were eating.

"Wow…"

"Yeah, wow," Pepper agreed, sitting down on the sofa and pulling the coffee table up close. "Tony will hand each one to us," she said, pulling Peter down beside her and making sure her tablet was near at hand. "You will tell me who it's from and we'll open it and make sure we mark what it is, so I can write a proper thank you note, later."

"And so we don't regift it back to the same person that gave it to us, if we don't like it or need it," Tony added, making them smile as he looked around, picking up a large box. "Are we ready?"

"Yeah."

"And if you see something you'd like to keep, let me know," Pepper reminded him.

"But no toasters. Not even the _Battlestar Galactica_ one you helped Ned pick out," Stark added.

"You know about that?"

"His mom told me."

"We'll put it in the lounge," Pepper said, giving Peter a conspiring wink. "For when he comes to visit."

Peter nodded. _He'd_ use it, even on days that Ned wasn't there. Who _wouldn't_ want Battlestar Galactica toast?

"Great."

Tony smiled, walking behind the sofa and putting his arms around Peter, hugging him close and reminding him just how much he loved him with that gesture.

"You're such a _nerd_."


	22. Chapter 22

It was a fair-sized group that met at the Quinjet pad just an hour or so after lunch. The Wakandan jet was waiting, glistening and bristling with technology – and undoubtedly all kinds of weapons. Whatever was needed to keep their king safe, after all.

"Sure you don't need an escort?" Romanoff asked, smiling at T'Challa to assure him she was just messing with him.

"We will be fine. Thank you." He looked at Peter, who was standing with Tony and Pepper, and then gestured to Okoye, who walked over to her king and handed him the spear she carried. He then carried it over to Peter and handed it to the boy, who smiled. "Your winnings."

Shuri grinned when Peter offered the Wakandan king his hand.

"I'm not _really_ going to hold you to the wagers we made," he said. "But I _will_ keep this – because it's pretty cool."

"You are welcome to it. I look forward to seeing you in two weeks, when we can show you our country."

"Yeah, me, too. Thank you."

T'Challa turned to the others to say their goodbyes and Shuri hugged Peter, tightly.

"I will see you in two weeks."

"Yeah," Peter repeated, awkwardly trying to hold the spear and the princess without somehow managing to stab himself. Or her. "Two weeks."

It wasn't that long, right? Just a couple of weeks. Fourteen days. Three hundred thirty-six hours. 20,160 minutes. One million two hundred nine thousand six hundred and-

"Hey… You okay?"

Tony had been watching Peter, of course. Even while the Wakandans had been loading their luggage and supplies onto their jet, and everyone had been saying goodbyes.

He and Pepper had spent the morning with him, sorting through the craziest assortment of wedding gifts imaginable. Since everyone knew Stark had more money than he knew what to do with – and Pepper was making him more every day – most of the guests had gone the route of gag gifts by way of routine wedding presents; crockpots, blenders, dishes and other household items. Some had been a bit more extravagant, however; there were a few matching Rolex watches – his and hers – and designer bags that had actually been brought by the designer, who had attended the wedding. There was a new boat, currently in a marina in the harbor, and several trips and invitations to stay with their friends.

Peter had found Ned's toaster and kept it to the side, and Tony was clearly pleased by the runestone that Thor had brought them from Asgard. He and Pepper put it next to the pot that held the plants from Wakanda – although Peter had moved both out of the way in the process of opening gifts with Pepper and Tony. Shuri had gifted them with what were – according to Friday – universal chargers. Small devices the size of a single playing card, they didn't plug into anything and if an electronic device was placed on it, the device would be safely charged within a matter of minutes. It didn't matter the device, or the size.

Pretty good stuff, really.

Then they'd had lunch, and once again Pepper and Tony were spending time with Peter. They sat with the others, chatting cheerfully with them, but always aware of the boy, and seemingly always finding a reason to touch him, reminding him without words that they loved him. He'd respond with a smile, or just a look, that would tell them the same, and a slightly harder to see ache in his eyes that told them he was going to miss them.

He wondered if it was him being incredibly needy, or if the toddler was making an appearance, and was egging on the fact that he was really going to miss them. Tony had pulled him aside to make sure he didn't need anything; that he had plenty of money, since he was going to be in the city and might actually have a chance to go spend time with Ned and MJ – as long as he made sure Stephen knew where he was going to be at all times – for security purposes.

Peter nodded, forcing a smile that looked like a grimace of pain more than anything.

"Yeah. Of course. Got a cool new spear out of the whole thing…"

"Don't poke an eye out," Pepper told him.

Everyone was starting to board the jet, now, and Strange and Natasha walked over to where Peter was standing with Pepper and Tony. Stark looked at Strange.

"Thor doesn't leave until you get Peter to the sanctum."

"Even better, I'm just going to portal him home – just to make sure we don't have any issues."

"Good. Thanks." He looked over at Peter. "You be good, right?"

"Yeah. I will. _Dad_." Peter smiled - another forced one, but a little more convincing. "Take care of Pepper, okay?"

"I will. We'll keep her away from anything that might try to eat her."

The boy turned to Pepper.

"Keep him out of trouble, mom…"

She hugged him, feeling like she was getting ready to leave him for years, and not just 2 weeks.

"I will, sweetheart. We'll see you in two weeks, alright?"

Peter buried his face in her neck, not quite willing to let go, yet.

"_Momma_…" he whispered, so softly that she wasn't completely certain what she'd heard, but her embrace tightened.

"I love you," Pepper told him, finally pulling away and kissing his cheek, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief that Strange produced for her.

"I love you, too."

Tony hugged Peter, then.

"Are you _okay_?" he asked, him, softly. "We don't _have_ to go. We could just all go to Hawaii, or something."

Peter rolled his eyes, and shook his head, knowing that if he said the word, Tony would do just that; he'd tell T'Challa thank you but no thank you, I don't want to leave my son and we're going to go to Hawaii as a family, instead. Which made his eyes sting with unshed tears, but also made him smile and feel that he had to be the luckiest guy in the world.

"No. It's only two weeks," he murmured in his ear. "We can do two weeks, right?"

"Sure." Tony kissed his temple as he let him go, smiling – even though his eyes were a little bright, too. "I love you, son."

"I love you, dad."

They smiled, and Tony turned to Stephen.

"Call if he needs _anything_."

Strange stepped up and put his hand on Peter's shoulder, while Tony and Pepper stepped back, toward the jet. Natasha moved up to Peter's other side, reminding them that it wasn't just going to be Stephen watching the boy while they were gone.

"He'll be fine, guys. Have fun Take a lot of pictures."

They nodded, and then turned and boarded the jet without another look back. The ramp went up behind them, and Strange felt Peter tremble under his hand.

He frowned, looking at the boy, who suddenly looked terrified. Natasha put an arm around Peter from the other side.

"It's okay, baby," she told him, her voice steady. "They're going to be fine."

It took him longer to figure it out than Natasha, but Stephen realized that a plane crash was how Peter had lost his parents when he was younger. No wonder he seemed terrified. He felt a great rush of affection and compassion for the boy standing beside him, and his grip tightened on his shoulder.

"She's right, Peter. The Wakandan jet is top of the line technology. They're safe."

"I _know_."

He was just having a hard time believing it, just then. The universe had taken almost everything from him, once, and seemed willing to replace it with a fresh start, but what was to stop it from happening, again? The stress of keeping that fear from showing in front of Tony and Pepper and maybe making them change their plans, or cancel them completely, was crashing down on him. _Hard_.

"Come on, baby," she said, using the hold she had on him to turn him away from the empty landing pad and toward the compound. "We'll go sit somewhere and relax while Stephen sends Thor home, and then we'll head to the sanctum and see what kind of trouble we can get into, there."

Peter nodded and allowed Natasha to walk him to his rooms. She pushed him down onto his sofa and joined him, and then she simply pulled him into her arms and held him while he clung to her and trembled. And cried.

OOOOOO

"They've flown before," Steve pointed out, walking with Strange once the sorcerer had created a portal to Asgard to send Thor back home – with his hammer. "Why is he so nervous this time?"

"Because when they flew on their vacation last time, Peter was _with_ them. Whatever happens to them, would have happened to him, as well. This time, if something happened. He'd be left alone, again. I don't think he really figured it out – until they actually got on the plane."

"Poor guy. Do you want to keep him here, tonight?"

"No. He'll be fine in the sanctum. Natasha's staying there, and I'm fairly certain he'll end up in her bed – or in Wakanda, depending on if he sleepwalks and uses the teleporting stone."

Which was a real concern.

"We'll see what she wants to do; she might just see if he'd be wiling to let her sleep with him – and maybe the cloak – just to make sure he stays put."

"It'd be tricky to explain to T'Challa and Shuri how he got there – without a plane ticket."

"Yes."

"Do you need anything?" Steve asked. "Does _he_?"

"No. But let me know if there's anything you guys need, here, alright? If I'm going to play dad to _Peter_ for two weeks, I might as well play dad to Tony's _Avengers_, also."

Rogers smiled, amused at the thought.

"Just make sure you don't forget to bring him by to visit us. We're pretty used to having him around, after all."

"I'll do that."


	23. Chapter 23

It was more than an hour before he stopped shaking, and by then he was exhausted from the emotional turmoil. It wasn't _over_, either, Natasha knew, because Pepper and Tony were still in the air. Peter wouldn't completely relax until they checked in and let them know the jet had landed. Then he'd be missing them, of course, but he wouldn't have to be afraid for them.

By the time Stephen came to his quarters to check on him, he was sitting up rather than leaning into Natasha's embrace, and had wiped away most of the damage done by his crying jag. Strange walked over and simply seated himself on the coffee table in front of them, his intense gaze not missing the red eyes, or the still somewhat haunted expression.

"Are you up to heading to the sanctum?" he asked. "Or would you like to stay here, until Tony checks in?"

"No. I'm ready. Thanks."

"Need anything?" Natasha asked, looking around his quarters.

He already had clothes in his room, there, and had packed his laptop and a few things he might want to have with him earlier into a backpack, but now he nodded and got up and pulled the polymorph from the shelf he'd put it on. His gaze fell on the little plush Ironman doll that had been the toddler's favorite toy and he saw a sudden vision of Tony and Pepper, sitting beside each other in plush leather seats with the Wakandan emblem on the headrests, telling Peter it was almost certainly the interior of the jet that they were in. Both were asleep, which told the boy that the vision wasn't from one of _them_, but might be from a stewardess, or flight coordinator.

It made him feel a little better – which had probably been the whole idea, he decided. He picked up the doll and put it in his back pocket, tucking it in to make sure it didn't fall out, and then he saw the spear that Natasha had leaned against the corner of the room, near the door, and turned to look at the two adults.

"I don't suppose either of you know how to fight with _spears_?"

He wasn't surprised that Natasha nodded, but Strange shrugged.

"_Staffs_ – Wong might have, as well."

Romanoff smiled, glad to see that he was allowing himself to put his worry aside enough to think about other things.

"Worried about the Wakandans?"

"Not _worried_," Peter said. "But you know Okoye wasn't happy that she couldn't land on me – and she's going to want a rematch when I go there. I'd rather not look too ridiculous."

Or get too beat up.

"We could probably teach you the basics in a couple of weeks," Natasha said. "Steve's pretty good, I know." She turned to Strange. "We could spar in the sanctum?"

"Of course. Bring the spear, Peter. Wong will be interested in seeing it, anyway. We'll make a couple less lethal looking ones to use to teach you with, however."

"Not to mention it's bad form to break a gift over someone's head."

Peter smiled. The first smile since Tony and Pepper had left for Wakanda.

"Steve and Bruce told me to say goodbye before we leave. You don't mind?"

"No. I need to pack some things, too," Natasha assured him. "How about you meet us in my rooms when you're ready? I'll take your stuff there."

"Thanks, Natasha."

He gave her a hug, and hurried out of the room, with Ironman's head sticking out of his back pocket watching them as the boy left.

"Why do I get the feeling we're going to be spending a lot of time in the sparring room?" Strange asked, smiling.

"Because if that's what will distract him, I'll work him until he drops," she replied, also amused. "And _then_ I'll turn him over to you, and let _you_ have a go at him."

"So much for a relaxing couple of weeks playing daddy."

She rolled her eyes. He should have known better when there was a teenager involved.

"Come on, daddy. You can help me pack."

She hadn't really intended to actually _stay_ at the sanctum while Peter was there – the guys were more than capable of handling the boy, after all – but with the turmoil of ghosts of the past hovering over him, she planned to stay near at hand for the first day or so to be there when he needed her.

Besides, Wong and Stephen were both excellent cooks.

OOOOOOO

"You know, it's not too late for us to just keep you _here_," Steve said. "We could say that you're sick, or something, and the dust in the sanctum would make you sneeze…"

Peter grinned.

"You guys wouldn't get anything done if I was here full time. You'd probably be in the middle of some drill, or a training operation and stop and think '_what kind of trouble is Peter getting himself into,_ _now?'_ and then have to come check on me. Every ten minutes."

"It wouldn't be that bad," Rogers told him.

"It probably _would_," Bruce disagreed. "Everyone knows you take whatever role you've been handed pretty seriously. _Peter_ wouldn't get anything done, either."

"I'm going to try and learn spear fighting while I'm there," Peter told Steve. "Natasha mentioned you might help."

"Yeah." He rubbed his cheek. "You think Okoye might want a rematch with the weapon of her choice?"

"_I_ would."

"And you're not the personal guard of a king," Steve added. "Yeah. I can see that." He shrugged. "You're not going to become a master in a couple of weeks, but you're fast enough to develop a good defense by then. If nothing else, she couldn't beat you up, and you could run her ragged until she has to call a draw."

"That would work."

"Tell Natasha to let me know when she wants me there, so I can clear my schedule. "

"Thanks, Steve."

"You're welcome." He decided Peter looked tired, but he didn't mention it. Natasha would keep Peter in check, he knew. "Do you need anything?"

"No, thanks. Don't let them rent out my room, okay?"

Rogers laughed, and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Keep in touch."

OOOOOOO

Wong was waiting when they appeared in the foyer of the sanctum. As was the Cloak of Levitation. As soon as they materialized, Peter was engulfed with fabric wrapping around him, crooning excitedly in his mind while the spear that he was holding in one hand clattered to the floor.

Wong's greeting wasn't quite so effusive, but he did smile at the way Peter was being manhandled – or _cloak_handled, was probably a more apt term.

"Did they get off, then?" he asked Strange, smiling a greeting to Natasha.

"They did. We are now officially in charge of our first teenager."

Wong made an impressive noise that made Romanoff grin.

"What's with the spear?" he asked, watching as the cloak finally allowed Peter to get his hands free and the boy picked up his weapon. "Are we planning on repelling boarders?"

"It was a gift from T'Challa," Strange explained. "Peter wants to learn to fight with it. Interested?"

"Of _course_. It'll give him something to do other than hang out in the library and read all day – that's _my_ schtick."

"Can you fight with a spear?" Peter asked, curiously.

The magician smiled; and Natasha knew the look that he gave the boy well. The boy was going to have plenty to do the next two weeks, now.

"Peter," Wong told him, sanctimoniously. "I thought you'd have learned by now; I can fight with _anything_."

"Let's hold off until tomorrow," Strange suggested. "I don't want Tony to check in when he lands in Wakanda, only to find someone slipped and Peter has suddenly developed a bump on his head. Or a bruise."

"Good idea."

"Strange handed the boy the backpack that he'd carried for him.

"Go unpack. Make yourself at home and turn on the air conditioner in your room, alright? We'll have dinner at seven. Maybe a nap would be in order, until then."

"Okay. Thanks."

They all watched as he and the cloak headed for the great staircase, and the doctor smiled.

"Have I mentioned how much I like him?"

"A time or two," Wong said. "What are we making for dinner?"


	24. Chapter 24

Peter left his things in his room – turning on the air conditioner to counter the low-grade fever being at the sanctum always gave him – and setting the plush Ironman doll onto the center of his pillow. Then he went down to the first floor, and found himself sitting on the leather sofa that was in front of the cold fireplace. The cloak was with him, mumbling cheerfully in his mind at having him all to itself – in its _home_ – and not needing to worry about puppies, or people sitting on it, or pretending to be a non-magical piece of fabric, or having to leave him just when things got comfortable. Peter didn't mind; he liked the cloak, and how cheerful it always seemed to be. It was good company, even when _he_ wasn't.

"Hey…"

Strange joined him on the couch, his intense gaze on Peter's, watching for any sign of weariness beyond what he'd noticed before.

"Hey. Where's Wong and Natasha?"

"They went to the sparring room with your spear. He's going to create several of them – some with the pointed end, but most with some kind of padding. Natasha went with him to make sure the feel is right on all of them."

"Oh."

Which explained why Peter was still learning, and Natasha was a genius at all things relating to fighting. He never would have thought of any of that. And probably would have stabbed himself with his own weapon, eventually.

"Are you feeling better?"

"What? Oh. No. I mean, _yeah_. It's stupid, I know. I shouldn't be worried about them. It's just… you know. It's happened _before_. Dr. Bird says when they go and come back a few times, I'll be a little more at ease about it all."

"But you don't think so?"

"No."

"Does Tony know? Or Pepper?"

"No. I asked him not to tell them – and he _can't_ if I don't give him permission, you know?"

"Yes. I'm aware." Strange admired the reasoning behind not telling his adopted folks that he was terrified that he'd lose them, but he also thought Tony and Pepper would want to know how badly he'd been affected by their departure. "They should be there in a couple of hours, right?"

Peter looked at his watch

"Yeah. They have the same capabilities as the Quinjet, from what I understand, so they can – and will – go supersonic."

"Why don't you get some rest while you wait for them to check in with you?"

"Because May woke me up to tell me when my mom and dad died," Peter told him, looking down at his hands. "I… I can't do that, again. I'll wait to talk to them. I'm not really _that_ tired, anyway."

Which Strange could tell wasn't completely the truth. He wished he had better comfort for him than telling him that he was sure everything was going to be fine, but he didn't. Even though he was pretty sure that if, somehow, something actually did go wrong, the Wakandans almost certainly had the tech to fix the problem, immediately.

Their king was on the plane, too, after all.

"Show me your polymorph thing," he suggested, prompting Peter to shift enough to pull it out of his pocket and hand it over to him.

"Pure _vibranium_?"

The boy nodded, smiling.

"And it turns into anything you can think of. Well, anything _I_ can think of, since it only works for me, Shuri said."

Strange had a much better imagination than Peter did – probably because he worked with magic, which required a lot of visuals. When Shuri had given Peter the polymorph, all he could think of was trying to turn it into a flowerpot, and then a TV. Stephen made several suggestions and had Peter make the order. They watched, intrigued, as the block melted into a book, a statue of a dragon, a fork, a shoe, a handgun and a fan. By the time Natasha joined them on the sofa, taking the other side of Peter in an unconscious imitation of the way Pepper and Tony bracketed the boy when they had him, the boy was actually chuckling, and she was surprised to see that Stephen was, too.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked, pleased to see his mood had lightened by leaps and bounds and looking at the coffee table that had been moved in front of the sofa.

Peter looked at her, a little guiltily – as did _Stephen_.

"Oh. We're uh… saving the earth…"

"With little Lego people?"

"Lego _Avenger_ people," Peter corrected, holding up a little Lego figurine that she realized was a somewhat accurate rendition of Steve Rogers – at least it was dressed in blue and red and white and had a tiny shield.

"They are guarding the compound," Strange added. "Which you will notice is made of pure _vibranium_…"

She frowned, looking at the small structure – that was a very good representation of the Avenger facility.

"Did you use the poly-thing that Shuri brought you to make that?"

Peter grinned.

"Yeah." He held up a little Natasha Romanoff Lego figurine. "But Dr. Strange made all the Lego people."

Romanoff looked at the little scene playing out on the coffee table.

"What are they protecting the compound from?"

"We haven't quite gotten that far, yet. We were thinking aliens – or maybe some kind of sinister robots. Any suggestions?"

"You two are nerds," Natasha told them, smiling. "You know that, right?"

Both of them nodded, but before they could say anything in their defense – or maybe to ask her if she was worried about it rubbing off on her, Peter's phone rang. The Ironman theme told all three who it was, and the boy pulled it out of his pocket and accepted the facetime request. Sure enough, Pepper and Tony were both looking at him, and in the background he, Strange and Natasha could see the interior of the jet.

"Hey…" Peter said, smiling and feeling a surge of pure relief. "You're there?"

_"We are,_" Tony told him. _"You're at the sanctum?"_

"Yeah. We were just… waiting to hear from you."

"They're playing with _Legos_, Tony," Natasha told him, putting her head close to Peter's. "Little Avenger Lego people."

_"Is there an Ironman one?"_ he asked.

"Of course," the boy assured him. "Even a Pepper one. How was the flight?"

_"We slept the whole way. How was your afternoon?"_

"It was good. _Fine_."

Which wasn't the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, of course. Pepper seemed to know it, too.

_"We miss you,"_ Pepper told him.

He smiled, feeling Natasha tighten the grip she had on him, where Tony and Pepper couldn't see.

"I miss you, too."

_"DO you need anything?"_

"He _has_ everything that he needs," Stephen assured them both, amused. "If he thinks of anything that he doesn't have that he does need, I will take care of it for him."

"Or Wong," Romanoff reminded them. "What's Wakanda like?"

_"We haven't had a look, yet. We'll let you know."_

"We'll let you go," Pepper said. "But we wanted to check in with you."

"I'm glad that you did," Peter said, sincerely.

_"We'll call you tomorrow, alright?_" Tony said.

"Yeah. I love you guys."

_"We love you."_

The phone call ended, and Peter sighed with a relief that he couldn't hide.

"They look okay."

"Yes."

"Now you can go back to saving the world with your Lego people…"

Strange shook his head, looking at his watch

"I'd say it's time to start dinner. Are you hungry, Peter?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Then you keep Natasha company, here, and I'll go cook."

He certainly wasn't going to turn Peter loose in his kitchen, after all. He got up and headed for the kitchen, and Peter leaned back into the cushions of the sofa.

"Relieved?" Romanoff asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes."

"So am I."

Now he could enjoy himself, without having that fear hanging over his head.


	25. Chapter 25

Dinner wasn't fancy, but it didn't _need_ to be. Peter had been to the sanctum and spent enough time with both magicians that they knew what he liked and what he didn't care so much for, so there was very little chance the meal wouldn't live up to expectations. Even _less_ chance, when it was tacos and was set up as a build it yourself type assembly line. If there was something he didn't like, and he put it on his taco, then he only had himself to blame. The four of them ate at the kitchen island, and all three adults were relieved to see the boy had a hearty appetite.

"Did you finish what you were working on?" Strange asked Wong and Natasha as he pulled a cola from the fridge and set it in front of Peter, who nodded thanks, but had a mouthful of food and couldn't say anything.

"We did," Wong replied. "If Peter is up for it, we'll start training tomorrow with staffs that are the same length and weight as the spear I modeled them after – to give you an idea of how to wield them without hitting yourself."

"Is that a thing?" the boy asked, dubiously, washing down the mouthful of food with a drink of his coke.

"Absolutely. Until you get used to it, _you're_ more of a danger to yourself than your sparring partner will be."

Peter looked over at Natasha, who nodded her agreement.

"He's right."

"Huh. Then I'm even gladder that I asked for some lessons."

"Wong and I were comparing techniques," Natasha told him – and Strange. "I think we're going to let _him_ be your primary instructor for this, and I'll follow up once you've got the basics. Then we'll see what Steve wants to add."

"Not _Doctor Strange_?" Peter asked, looking over at him to see what he thought about being left out.

"Wong and I are compatible," Stephen said. "We had the same instructions – many years apart, though. He's a good choice."

"But they're similar enough that if you want to spar and Wong isn't free, Stephen can step up."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Is there anything that you have planned for the next couple of weeks?" Strange asked the boy. "Anything you _want_ to do, I mean?"

"Spend some time with Ned and MJ – since I'm in the city. Maybe a movie, or something? Hang out with you guys. Do a little Spiderman, probably. Ned said that they opened up a new place down the road from his apartment that's supposed to have a good sub. Maybe go to the waterfront… Nothing too interesting."

_He_ didn't notice the tightening of Strange's expression, since he was focusing on his meal more than the adults around him, but _Natasha_ did. And she smiled when she realized what the sorcerer hadn't liked hearing. When he didn't say anything, though, she didn't bring it up, either.

"That could probably all be arranged." Strange looked at Natasha. "Do you _Avengers_ have any issue with him being unescorted in the city? Or are we playing chaperone when he wants to go outside?"

"The _Avengers_ are fine with him having fun with his friends," she told him, seriously. "As long as he is checking in with you or Wong, and he doesn't go crazy on social media, posting his activities until _after_ he does them, so no one knows where to find him if they wanted to try and make a play on him."

Peter nodded; this was nothing new to him. Not that he spent that much time running around in the city, but he knew all the security protocols that were there to keep him from being any more of a target than he already was. He wasn't surprised that Strange and Wong didn't, even if Strange was seeing Natasha.

"Yeah. Ned and MJ know, too."

They talked about other things he might want to do – aside from things in the sanctum, but once his stomach was full, Peter's day was crashing down on him and he was beginning to feel it. He was tired. When they were finished eating, Wong waved away his offer to help clean up, pointing out that there weren't many dishes, and he could do them.

"You look tired, Peter," he said. "Go get some sleep. There will be plenty of dishes to wash, tomorrow, too."

Normally Peter would have said he wasn't, and told them that he was fine – and probably would have ended up falling asleep in the middle of a conversation, or a game. This time, however, he somewhat surprised all of them when he nodded.

"Yeah, I think I will. I'll see you guys in the morning."

"Night, baby."

He turned and left the kitchen, with the cloak hitching a ride and rubbing on his ears, and Natasha smiled and looked at Strange.

"You didn't look too enthused when he mentioned going out at night."

"I have to admit that I'm not thrilled with the idea. What if something happens?"

"He's cautious. He has the safehouse, and his watch to call for help if something comes up. He'll be fine."

"_Tony_ didn't mention him going out."

"Probably because it's an automatic thing." She put her arm around his shoulder, amused and touched by how concerned he looked at the idea of Peter risking himself. "He doesn't go out _every_ night, after all, and will probably only go if he feels he's needed."

"I don't know, Natasha…"

"Don't look so worried," she told him, hugging him – because he _did_ look worried. "Otherwise I'll have to give you the same speech about letting him do his thing that I gave Tony."

Strange sighed; but let it drop – for the moment, at least. It wasn't something that he had to worry about that evening, after all, and he'd talk to Tony about it when he spoke with him, next. He _did_ wonder how she could be so calm about the idea of the boy being out at night. All alone. He was so young, after all.

"He's not going anywhere tonight," Wong pointed out, as if reading his mind. "We can sit down and talk to him about whatever concerns we have, later. He's sensible."

Wong didn't look _quite_ as uncertain as Stephen did, she noticed, but he was better at hiding his feeling, too, so it was possible that he wasn't enamored of the idea, either. Natasha smiled, thinking that both men might have a better understanding, now, of just how much stress was involved in being responsible for a teenaged superhero – and maybe understand why Tony was so protective of his boy.

"I'm going to go stay with him, tonight," she reminded them. "If not for the stress earlier, I might not be so concerned, but we all know how close he was to a panic attack and it might catch up with him. Better to nip it before it happens."

"You know where to find me if you need me," Stephen reminded her, brushing a kiss against her temple before she let him go. "Don't hesitate."

"I never do."

"Well… that one time with the _skunk_, I'm pretty sure you hesitated…"

Wong chuckled and so did Romanoff.

"_That's_ what taught me not to hesitate. Good night."

"French toast for breakfast."

She waved to let them know that she'd heard him, and then headed for the staircase. She'd go change for bed, first, which would give Peter a chance to get ready for bed, too.

OOOOOOO

He looked up at the tap on his door.

"Come in."

Peter wasn't at all surprised that Natasha was the one to stick her head into his room.

"Decent?"

He smiled.

"Yeah. Come on in."

He was sitting on the edge of his bed, wearing sweats and a t-shirt, with the Cloak of Levitation curled around his bony shoulders. His phone was in his hand, but he set it to the side when she waked over, putting it beside his polymorph on the stand next to his bed.

"It's cold in here," she complained, sitting next to him.

His air conditioner was on high, and she knew why, but it was still pretty chilly in his room. At least it was summer, now, so it was refreshing as opposed to annoying when it was cold outside, too.

"Yeah." He leaned against her. "You're staying with me tonight?"

Peter wasn't dumb. He knew that they would all be worried about him sleepwalking after his rough afternoon, and he knew Natasha was his best bet to keep him from ending up in Tony and Pepper's bed sometime in the middle of the night. Or worse, since it was the middle of the night in New York, and well into the day in Wakanda. Who knew where he'd end up with the cocktail; of Mind stone and teleportation rock?

"You don't mind?"

"No. I _appreciate_ it. We'd probably have a bit of an explanation if I ended up in Wakanda three hours after they were told I was in New York."

"And without a plane to have taken you," she added.

"True." The boy sighed. "Just for _tonight_, though," he promised. "I'll probably be good to go, anyway."

"Yeah."

She reached over and picked up the Ironman doll from his pillow and smiled.

"Huh," Peter said, reaching for it. "I wonder how _that_ got there?"

"I wonder…"


	26. Chapter 26

"_Is that a _bruise_?"_

"What? _No_…"

"_Is what a bruise? Did you say a _bruise_?"_

Pepper's image joined the call, her expression concerned as she seemed to be trying to get a better look at the boy on the other end of the video feed.

"It's _fine_, guys."

"_They've had you for less than _24 hours_ and you're bruised?"_

"It's not a bruise; it's a smudge of dirt."

"_Yeah?"_ Tony didn't look convinced. _"Where's Stephen?"_

"They're making breakfast."

"_Let me guess; French toast."_

Peter smiled.

"Yeah. I think so."

"_I should have sent you to stay in some convent, somewhere. The nuns could have kept you out of trouble… and probably just fed you fruit, or something."_

"I'm _fine_." He looked at the two of them, carefully, soaking in their images. "Are you having fun?"

"_We're both jet-lagged,"_ Tony admitted. _"But this place is beautiful, Peter. You're going to love it."_

"_Did you have a good dinner last night?"_ Pepper asked.

"Yeah. Tacos."

"_Where'd you get the bruise?"_ Tony asked.

"I hit myself with a staff."

"_What?"_

"Wong is teaching me to fight with spears and-"

"_What!?"_

It was amazing how Tony's voice could raise several octaves in one word, Peter thought.

"I asked him to teach me how to fight with spears."

"He woke Wong up at six am, insisting on his first lesson before breakfast," Natasha told Tony, sticking her head into the call since she'd heard the conversation on her way to the kitchen to see what smelled so good. "He swung his staff, the other end hit the floor and brought the top end up, right into his face."

"_Is he alright?"_

"I'm fine."

"_What are you going to do, today? And don't _even _say another lesson fighting with the staffs…"_

"I'm going to Ned's after breakfast. We're going to meet MJ and maybe go to a movie."

_"You got enough money? Romanoff? Give him some money."_

"I have enough money."

"_We miss you," _Pepper told him._  
_

Peter's smile was tinged with sadness, and he nodded.

"I miss you guys, too. Don't do all the fun stuff before I get there, okay?"

"_T'Challa has us in this little villa-type house on the edge of a river. All kinds of wildlife have been by the get a drink, so we see them, but they have a forcefield looking thing that keeps them from deciding to make a meal of us."_

"Really? A _real_ forcefield?"

"_It appears to be one, yeah. I'm going to check it out in the morning, see if I can figure out what makes it tick."_

"Don't let him hurt himself, mom."

Pepper smiled, resting her chin on Tony's shoulder as she looked at Peter.

"_I've been trying to keep him from doing that for years, sweetheart, with varying success. We'll talk to you soon, okay?"_

"Okay. Have fun."

Tony, being Tony, wanted the last word.

"_I love you."_

The call ended, and Peter set his phone down.

"They look like they're having a good time, so far," Natasha observed.

"Yeah. I think so." He smiled, feeling somewhat cheerful for having had a chance to talk to them, and make sure they were having a good time. "What are you going to do today?"

"I'm going to hang out here," she said. "It's Sunday, and since we're not doing brunch, I'm going to see if Stephen wants to go for a walk in the park with me."

"That sounds nice."

"I thought so, too."

"Are you going to watch our lesson, tonight?"

She smiled, and got off the sofa they'd been sitting on.

"Will it be as entertaining as the first one?"

Peter rolled his eyes, brushing his hand over the bump above his eye, thinking that if Pepper hadn't made him get his haircut for the wedding, he might have been able to hide the bruise from her during the call.

"It was only the one time," he said. "I'm already getting better."

"You hit yourself with your own _weapon_," she pointed out as they headed for the kitchen – and breakfast. "You can't get worse, right?"

OOOOOOO

"So what's it like staying there?" MJ asked.

"Peter's stayed at the sanctum before," Ned reminded her.

"Not for two weeks."

"He's only been there a _day_."

Peter shrugged, thinking that if they were going to have that discussion, then he shouldn't be walking between them.

"It's fine. I'm going to have a good time, I think. Wong is teaching me how to fight with those spears that the Wakandan guards were carrying around."

"Really?" Ned looked impressed. "When?"

"We started this morning."

"Is that how you got the bruise?" MJ asked.

"Yeah."

MJ frowned as she thought of something else.

"Will Doctor Strange allow you to go out…?

"I'm out, right now."

She rolled her eyes, looking around the busy street.

"Not outside, Peter. _Out_. At night."

"She means as _Spiderman_," Ned said, helpfully.

"_Ned!"_

"No one's listening to us, MJ," the boy assured her. "We're not interesting enough to eavesdrop on." He looked at Peter. "It's a good question, though. Will he?"

"Yeah. I don't see why not."

"Because he isn't _Ironman_," MJ pointed out. "What if you got into trouble and needed help?"

MJ wasn't a hundred percent enamored of the idea of Peter being Spiderman. Not once she started looking up some of the YouTube videos and seeing some of the dangerous things he'd been spotted doing. And she had a good enough imagination that she could well imagine how much more dangerous things got at night when the cameras weren't so readily available.

"He still has all the _other_ Avengers," Ned told her, rolling his eyes, impatiently. He raised his watch to his lips, pretending to make a call. "Natasha, I need backup.' 'We're on our way, Peter.' '_Clint_! Peter needs backup.' 'Go get Steve, I'll fire up the jet.'" He shrugged. "Problem solved. Besides, _Ironman_ is for if you need missiles or something. Peter would be better off with Natasha. She can get right up in the bad guys' faces and just kick their asses and leave them in a pile for the cops. _Tony_ would just blow them up."

"You're just saying that because you have a crush on her."

He didn't deny it.

"She still kicks ass."

Peter nodded his agreement, but he was glad when they reached the theater. He hadn't really had a lot of chances to spend time with his friends in the city. For obvious reasons Tony (and anyone involved in Peter's security) preferred that Ned and MJ come to the compound rather than have Peter go to them. It wasn't usually a big deal, since Ned loved going there and Captain America was always a draw to get MJ to go, too. But he was enjoying having time out with them, with no one really watching his back, since he was just blending in with all of the other people in the crowd.

It was fun.

OOOOOO

"Isn't this fun?"

Strange gave Natasha a look that clearly said he wasn't having that much fun, and was only put enjoying the sunshine in the park because it was what she wanted – and he was pretty good at letting her have her way.

"That would depend on your definition of fun," he said, tightening the hold he had on her arm, which was tucked under his own.

She smiled, not at all contrite for having sweet-talked him into coming to the park with her. The day was beautiful and sunny and there were a lot of people out enjoying the first weekend of the summer.

"It's not going to kill you to get some fresh air, Stephen."

"What if we get _mugged_? Then it might."

Romanoff laughed.

"You're worried we're going to get mugged?"

"No." He just didn't want to be in the park. There was a perfectly good sofa in the sanctum. The two of them could be sitting on it, cuddling. Strange had never been that big on cuddling before, but he was learning to be a fan, now. Probably due to the person he cuddled the most _with_. "I suppose not."

"Don't worry; I'll protect you…"

He smiled, knowing that was the truth – even if he didn't really need to be protected. Unlike a certain sixteen-year-old boy who'd been in his care for less than 24 hours and had almost knocked himself out that very morning.

"Are you staying tonight?"

Romanoff shook her head.

"I don't think so. He wasn't restless at all last night. He probably doesn't need me hovering. What do _you_ think?"

"It's completely up to you, Natasha. We love your company."

That made her smile, because she knew he was being sincere.

"Did you talk to Tony?"

Strange scowled.

"Yes."

"And…?"

"He's fine with Peter going out – as long as he checks in with me before he goes _and_ when he gets back."

"_Because…?"_

The sorcerer sighed.

"Because he has the teleportation stone, the safehouse and his watch in case anything goes wrong, and he knows how to use them all."

She smiled.

"He might not even go, so don't get worked up about it, alright?"

Strange rolled his eyes.

He was almost certainly going to go,

"Maybe he could use a sidekick…"

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes.

"Sure. Just as soon as you learn how to walk up walls."

"Cute."

He wondered what it would take to find that kind of spell. Wong would probably know.


	27. Chapter 27

Peter watched Wong, waiting.

The sorcerer didn't make him wait long. He swung the staff he was holding, taking aim at Peter's head – which made Natasha and Strange both frown from where they were watching off to the side, although the boy brought his own staff up to parry the blow without any issue.

"Good."

The next swing came perilously close to sweeping Peter off his feet, but he dodged just in time, jumping out of the way and bringing the staff he was holding down to swing it at Wong in reply. Only the end that represented the bottom of the spear caught his heel and he knocked it out of his own hand, just as Wong parried with a vicious swipe to the boy's jaw. Both recognized the danger relatively at the same time. Peter turned himself sideways and Wong pulled the blow – the _same_ direction. The staff hit Peter solidly on the side of his face, missing his jaw but hitting his cheek hard enough to swing him around.

The boy went down in a heap, and all three adults leaped forward.

"Peter!"

"I'm _okay_…"

He sat up, holding his face, feeling blood dribbling from his nose, and Strange moved his hand aside to get a better look, waving the cloak away before it could get in the way trying to comfort Peter.

"You're _bleeding_."

"Yeah."

A wet, chilled towel was suddenly in the doctor's hand and he pressed it against Peter's bleeding nose.

"We'll get the bleeding stopped and then I'll make sure it isn't broken."

"I'm fine," Peter assured all three of them. "Staff fighting is trickier than it looks."

"It takes some getting used to," Natasha agreed. "I think we'll finish this lesson a different day…"

"Yeah, I'm probably done."

Wong reached down to off him a hand and pulled him to his feet.

"You have to remember that the staff is supposed to be an _extension_ of you. You shouldn't be tripping over it. When's the last time you tripped on your own feet?"

"It's been a while," Peter told him, chagrined. "Sorry. I'll get it."

"Of course you will," Wong assured him. "It's a new skill. Once you get used to the feel of the staff, you'll be more comfortable. Then speed and accuracy will become second nature."

Peter just wasn't used to not being good at something that he tried to do, and was trying too hard, thinking that he was going to be great, immediately.

"In the meantime," Natasha said, watching as Strange put a hand under Peter's elbow to walk him out of the sparring room and down to the first floor library. "You'll probably have another bruise to explain to Tony and Pepper."

"It was my own fault," he said, shrugging. "I'll make sure they know."

"We'll ice it, tonight," Stephen said. "It shouldn't be too bad."

"I'll make a poultice," Wong added. "It won't swell, too much, either."

"Thanks."

"Your defense will be good, once you learn to hold on to your weapon," Wong told him, amused. He wasn't concerned about the injury to Peter; Wong knew the boy was tough enough to take a little bit of a beating in order to learn an important part of what he was teaching him. "I'll be back in a little while."

"Yeah. I'll get it," he repeated, more to himself than replying to Wong, since the sorcerer wasn't even in the room.. Strange helped him sit down on one of the sofas with the towel still pressed against his face. It was cold and wet – magically, so it wouldn't warm up, either – and felt good against the throbbing in his face. "It's just harder than I thought it would be."

"Or… you're a little _distracted_," Natasha said, smiling slightly. "Did you have a good time today with Ned and MJ?"

Peter blushed, and was glad most of his face was concealed by the towel.

"Yeah. It was a good movie."

"What else did you do?" she asked, sitting on the arm of the sofa.

She wasn't going to be staying, so she didn't want to get too comfortable.

"We went and tried out this new place Ned said they opened by his apartment. Then we walked Ned home."

"So you spent time alone with her?"

By then he was so red she thought he might crawl under the table to escape.

"Yeah. A little. I walked with her to her train."

"Good." She leaned over and pressed a careful kiss against his ear, hoping it wasn't ringing from the blow he'd taken. "I'm going to go home. Do you need anything?"

"No. Thanks."

"You'll be okay, tonight?"

"I feel okay."

"Alright. You know how to reach me if anything changes." She looked at Strange. "You'll call if he needs me?"

"Of course."

The doctor waved his hand into a circle, opening a portal that they could all see led to Romanoff's living quarters at the compound. She slid her hand along his forearm and then went through it, and it closed behind her.

"Is that what happened?" Strange asked, curiously. "You were distracted?"

"It's pretty tricky."

"You did better this _morning_," he pointed out. "With each practice, a skill should increase, not decrease."

"I might have been a _little_ distracted."

"Why?"

"MJ is driving me crazy."

"What?"

"I mean. She doesn't know it. But she is."

"What is she doing?"

"Acting worried about me."

"That's a bad thing?"

"Yeah. I mean, no. I don't _know_. She was asking if you were going to let me go out to do my Spiderman thing, and I said yes, and suddenly she's acting like I'm running into burning buildings with no firefighting equipment, or something."

"The revelation of your alter ego is still new for her. It's not surprising that she is worried about you – and _for_ you."

Of course, Strange knew about it from almost the first day he'd met him, and _he_ was worried about him being Spiderman, too.

"I want to ask her out," Peter said, abruptly, flushing. "You know, to go do something just the _two of us_. But I can't ask her if she's acting like that. She'll think that she _has_ to say yes – just to keep me from doing something dumb. And then she won't have a good time, because she won't have wanted to be there in the first place."

Strange snorted, thinking that this was probably a conversation that the boy should be having with _Tony_, not with him.

"She's fairly strong-willed and competent, I've noticed."

"Yeah."

"I doubt that you could make her say yes to a date if she didn't want to go."

"Not a date."

"Then what?"

"Something to eat, or maybe a movie – just us."

"Which is usually called a date, Peter – unless you're baby-sitting her."

"You think she'd say yes because she wants to go and not because she's got some weird take care of Peter and keep him safe hormones going through her?"

"I think you should ask her and see what she says." He pulled the towel away from Peter's face and frowned at the swelling near his blood smeared nose. "Otherwise you're in for a rough week with Wong."

"Yeah."

The doctor ran his fingers along the swelling and along the boy's nose and decided nothing was broken.

"We'll ice it and use Wong's poultice, and see if we can turn the lights down low when Tony calls, next."

Peter smiled.

"Okay."

"Keep the towel on it for now, and when dinner's done, we'll check it out, again. Let me know if it starts hurting more than it is right now."

"Thanks."

Strange patted his knee and headed for the kitchen, since he was making dinner that evening, and the cloak wrapped itself around him, crooning cheerfully. Peter leaned back with his compress/towel and closed his eyes. Maybe after that he'd call MJ. Or not. Maybe he'd call Ned.

Or MJ.


	28. Chapter 28

"_You have _got_ to be kidding me…"_

Peter smiled, knowing full well that Tony was responding to the black eye that had formed from the hit he'd taken to his nose earlier that evening. It was a _beauty_, despite the poultice Wong had made and all the icing that Strange had had him do.

"It's not as bad as it looks."

"_It looks pretty _bad_. Were you stick fighting, again?"_

"Yeah. It's probably better that I get the clumsiness out of the way, here at _home_, before I go there and let Okoye try to beat me up."

"Yeah," Tony agreed, sarcastically – and Peter had no trouble seeing his eyes roll in the video conference call. "It's much better to let _Wong_ beat you up, instead."

His smile turned into a grin.

"Is Pepper up, yet?"

It was early morning there, as opposed to evening in New York.

"_She'll be here in a minute. Everything okay? Aside from the impressive array of bruises you're accumulating?"_

"Yeah. I went to the movies with Ned and MJ, today. Then we went and tried a new place that-"

"_What happened to your _face_?"_

Peter smiled, genuinely happy to see Pepper, even though she looked worried when she put her head into the video call, leaning closer to try and get a look at the black eye.

"Good morning, mom."

The words had the intended effect, and she smiled, her expression softening even as he watched. Which made Tony smile, too.

"_Good morning, sweetheart. Are you alright?"_

"Yeah. Of course. I was just distracted, and Wong got a lucky hit on me. It _looks_ bad, but it doesn't even hurt."

"_You stay away from that truck stop,"_ Tony ordered. _"Understand?"_

Peter grinned, knowing what he meant, immediately.

"I will."

"_Anything we need to know?"_ Pepper asked, her chin resting on Tony's shoulder. Peter loved seeing them like that, so intimate with each other, but including him into their circle. _"Did you see Ned and MJ, yesterday?"_

"We went to the movies," Peter confirmed, continuing the conversation that he'd started with Tony before she'd appeared. He paused, for dramatic effect, and because he was just excited to say it and wanted to make it sound casual when he did. "I have a _date_ with MJ, tomorrow."

They both stared.

"A _real_ date?" Tony finally asked.

"Yeah."

"_With _MJ_?"_

"Yeah."

"_Not just, you know, a picture of her, or something? The girl? Long hair? Cute smile? Makes you look like you want to throw up every time you try to talk to her?"_

Peter grinned, blushing, despite himself.

"I'm not quite that bad. But _yes_, with MJ."

"_You asked her out?"_ Pepper asked.

"Just now, on the phone."

He never would have managed it face to face; he knew.

"_That's wonderful, Peter,"_ Pepper said_. "Where are you going?"_

"_Not McDonald's,"_ Tony added.

"No. But no place really fancy," Peter told him. _Them_. "We haven't decided what we're doing. Only that we're going to do it."

"_You're not doing _it_,"_ Tony said, automatically, making Pepper groan and roll her eyes, and making Peter grin – although he also blushed a brilliant red.

"Wrong turn of phrase," he said, quickly. "You _know_ what i meant."

"_Yeah."_ Of course he did. He just thought it was amusing when Peter blushed. _"What are you thinking? Bowling? Putt-putt? The arcade?"_

"I don't know. I was… Natasha and Dr. Strange went for a walk in the park today. _That_ would be kind of romantic, you think?"

"_I think you're right,"_ Pepper said, her eyes getting just a little watery at the thought of the two teens walking in the park – on a date. _"You could take a picnic."_

Peter shrugged.

"I don't want to have to tote a bunch of stuff. Maybe I could just buy her a hotdog, or something?"

Tony rolled his eyes, again.

"_That's romantic."_

The boy smiled.

"I'll think about it. What are you going to do today?"

"_We're getting a tour of the area around our little villa. T'Challa wants to save the city tour for when you're here, too, so we're going to see some of the various people that live out in the countryside, and some of the wildlife up close."_

"Not _too_ close. You know Doctor Strange is just waiting to hear one of you got eaten by a moose so he can say I told you so."

"I _heard_ that."

Peter turned and saw that Strange had walked into the room, holding a cup of coffee.

"_Is that Stephen?"_ Pepper asked.

"Yeah."

"_Let me talk to him."_

Strange heard, and put his head close to Peter's so he could see them.

"How's Wakanda?" he asked.

"_Beautiful. How did you convince Peter to ask MJ on a date?"_

"I reminded him that there are only so many places on his face that Wong can hit him before the bruises start doubling up and that if he doesn't stop getting distracted, we were going to find them."

Peter shook his head, amused.

"_Everything going alright?"_ Tony asked. _"Anything you guys need?"_

"We're _fine_, Tony," Strange assured him. "We fed him, and made sure to entertain him after he ate, and he will soon be going to bed – but I'm not tucking him in. My duties as baby-sitter only go so far."

Pepper laughed, noticing that Peter only rolled his eyes at having Strange mention being a baby-sitter, so he obviously wasn't too concerned.

"_Is Natasha staying over tonight?"_ Tony asked.

"No. But she'll be around if we need anything."

"We're _fine_," Peter told them both.

He knew that they were talking about him maybe sleepwalking, but he hadn't done it in a while, and he wasn't stressed about anything – as far as he knew – so he didn't think there was anything to worry about.

"_If you need anything – even in the middle of the night – you call, okay?"_

"I will. I'm good, though. Really. I miss you guys."

"_We miss you, too, Peter,"_ Pepper told him.

"_We'll show you around when you get here_," Tony said. _"You'll love it."_

"Sounds great. Have fun, today."

"_Sleep well."_

The call ended and Strange ruffled Peter's hair as he pulled away.

"They look like they're having fun."

"Yeah. Tony told me they're going to have a look around today. If there's something you or Wong are interested in, you should let him know so they can take pictures for you. Or ask about it."

"Wong wants to look at the plants that T'Challa brought for Tony and Pepper. I asked and they said it was fine, so sometime this week when we're back at the compound remind me to bring them back with us."

"Okay. What is he looking for?"

"If they're rare, then they may have some special properties that we haven't seen before. You know how Wong is; he hates having anything out there that he doesn't know."

"Yeah."

"But Tony told me to remind you that _you're_ not to _touch_ the plants, or _eat_ the plants."

Peter frowned.

"Why would I _eat_ them?"

"Because you're young and dumb, remember?" The sorcerer smiled, to make sure the boy understood he was only teasing. "Are you going to bed? Or are you going to be up for a while?"

"I'm not tired. Did you need help with something?"

"No. Not really. If you're interested, I'd challenge you to a game of 3-d chess."

"Sounds good."

His was in his room at the compound, but that was one of the benefits of being with Dr. Strange; they didn't need to go get his in order to play. They went to the library on the third floor and sat at the large table – beside Wong, who looked up from the book he was reading and watched as Strange summoned up a board and the pieces.

"That's the one Peter received for his birthday?" he asked, curiously.

"Yes."

"I'll play winner."


	29. Chapter 29

"Are you sure you want to try this?"

Peter nodded.

"I'm better, now, _really_."

"You burned down the _cooking school_."

"Technically, Tony _helped_."

Wong snorted from where he was sitting on a barstool at the kitchen island, watching Peter and Strange.

"You lost the chess game," the sorcerer reminded Stephen. "He gets to cook breakfast."

"You're just saying that because _you_ don't have to eat it," Strange said, sourly.

"Not my fault you lost your game and I won _mine_."

Peter smiled. He wasn't too concerned. Both men were excellent cooks and they were both right there in the kitchen with him. He wasn't going to burn the place down.

"What do you want for breakfast?" he asked Stephen, graciously allowing him to decide the menu.

"Lucky Charms."

Wong snorted, again, which earned him a wink from Strange this time.

"Come on, Doctor Strange…"

"Alright." Strange seated himself on the stool beside Wong's, where he could watch what was going on. The cloak was nowhere to be seen, since it knew Peter was cooking and there was a lot of potential for messiness. It had hovered close by, hanging on Strange's collar during Peter's lesson with Wong that morning, but after that, it had made an escape. "Eggs; over easy, wheat toast and fried potatoes."

Peter nodded, looking at Wong, expectantly.

"I'm having _Lucky Charms."_

OOOOOO

"Well, that was an experience."

"Come on, it wasn't that bad."

Strange shrugged.

"I suppose the eggshells could be counted as protein? _Starch_?"

Peter shook his head, a dishtowel draped over his shoulder.

"It was one little piece."

"I almost choked."

"_Almost_. But you didn't."

"My own little victories." He smiled, though, amused and enjoying having the boy at the sanctum with them. Even if the kitchen was a smoky disaster. Peter wasn't above cleaning it, anyway, and had apologized for melting the spatula. "Did you decide what you and MJ are going to do today?"

"Yeah." Peter knelt down to wipe up the three eggs that had rolled from the counter onto the floor before Strange taught him the trick of putting them on a towel to keep them from escaping. "I thought I'd see if she wants to walk in the park."

"That's a good idea."

"Pepper suggested a _picnic_, but I don't want to carry stuff – and it seems a little old fashioned, you know?"

"Sometimes women like that kind of thing."

He hesitated.

"You think I should do that, then?"

Stephen gave him a tight smile.

"You know how I feel about eating outside, Peter."

"Yeah. I was thinking I could just buy us some hotdogs and pop. That'd be easier."

"Do you need any money?"

"No, thanks. I'm good."

"When are you going?"

"Around noon? Maybe a little earlier."

"When do you plan on being back?"

Peter smiled up at him, still cleaning the floor.

"Is this a _dad_ thing? All the questions?"

The sorcerer shrugged, smiling a little, as well.

"I suppose so. I just need to know when I should start worrying about you if you aren't back at a certain time."

"If we do the park thing, I'll make sure to have her home by six or so, so I shouldn't be much later than seven. If it's something else, because she doesn't want to walk in the park, I'll call you so you know what we're doing."

"Sounds like a good plan. Thank you."

"They're pretty careful about me being too flexible when I'm out and about," Peter admitted. "Natasha isn't fond of surprises."

"Yes. I'm aware."

OOOOOO

Peter walked up to MJ's apartment at almost the exact time he'd told her to expect him. He was a bit flustered when her mom and dad were both there to meet with him, but he hid it as well as he could while they questioned the two teens about their plans for the day. When Peter mentioned a walk in the park, her parents both seemed agreeable to it, and when they left, MJ apologized for their over-protectiveness as they walked down the stairs to go to the train.

"I think they expected us to go find a dark theater somewhere and make out," she said, smiling when she saw that Peter was blushing at the thought.

"Oh. Yeah. I can see why they wouldn't be okay with that. We could make out in the _park_, though." He flushed at the look she gave him. "I mean. Not that we _should_. Only…. You know, we're _alone_. It wouldn't matter if we're in a theater or in… yeah. Anyway…"

MJ laughed, and hooked her arm through his.

"Relax, Peter. This is going to be fun."

"Okay."

It _was_ fun. The park had a lot of different paths – paved and not – and they were designed for just what they were doing. They spent the early afternoon walking and looking at the sights, and just hanging out. Peter bought them lunch at a hotdog stand, and they sat at a picnic table to eat, watching the people that were around them.

Peter loved people watching, but he hadn't known that MJ did, as well, so they amused themselves making up back stories for all the people they saw – and then Peter pointed out that some of those people might be making up a back story for _them_, as well, if they were being watched.

"Not that they'd even be close when it came to _yours_," MJ pointed out, taking a drink of her cola.

"What? Why not?"

She made sure no one was close enough to listen in on them.

"Well, let's see… you're the adopted son of Tony Stark – _Ironman_, himself. You hang out with the Avengers – you live two doors down from _Captain America_, and right next to Black Widow. You're friends with a rug that is made out of magic – and friends with an African princess who gave you a 4 million dollar present just as a _hello and I missed you_ gift. Do we even need to touch on the Spider-man part?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Well, when you put it like that, then, yeah… it's a little off the wall."

"A _little_?"

Peter shrugged.

"Yeah. It's all part of my charm, though, right?"

MJ smiled and got up to throw her trash away.

"You _are_ charming, I'll give you that much."

"Thanks."

They had to have her back home by five, but they still had some time. Mother Nature had her _own_ ideas, though, it seemed, because as they walked – and now he was bold enough to take her hand while doing so – there were clouds that were beginning to form on the horizon, and what had been a light summer's breeze was now a little chilly.

They decided, reluctantly, that they should probably head back, but ended up caught by a cloudburst that seemed to come from nowhere. The two teens ended up huddled together on a bench under a small shelter to wait it out, and Peter wasn't certain if he should be happy (because MJ was holding pretty tightly to him to keep warm, just then) or annoyed, because it cut the date short.

"It shouldn't rain too long," he assured her. "We have plenty of time."

She nodded.

"I'm not worried. Although my hair looks terrible, now."

Peter smiled.

"I think you look beautiful."

And then, greatly daring, he leaned over and kissed her.

OOOOOOO

He was shivering by the time he got back to the sanctum after dropping MJ at home, and his t-shirt and jeans were drenched as if he'd simply taken a jump in the river.

It hadn't stopped raining the entire time, and he and MJ had eventually been forced to simply tough it out and had walked – almost jogged – to the edge of the park where Peter had hailed a cab rather than wait for a bus and train. He had money, he told her, they might as well not get any wetter than they already were.

He walked into the sanctum and was immediately met by the cloak, which swerved at the last minute when it noticed how wet he was, and simply hovered close by, instead of cuddling like it would have liked.

"You're _soaked_," Strange noted, walking up from the kitchen. "Has it been raining all day?"

"Yeah. Where were _you_?"

"The compound, gathering the Wakandan plants for Wong."

"Oh."

"I hope you don't have any plans for tomorrow," the doctor told him, hanging up his jacket to let it try to dry.

"Why?"

"Because your Avengers miss you, so you're going to spend some time with them. Natasha's orders."

Peter smiled. Like that was a chore.

"Okay."

"Did you have fun?"

"Yeah. Except for the rain."

Although that had been fun, too, he decided.

"Go get dried off," Strange ordered. "Take a hot bath so you don't get chilled. Turn off your air conditioner for the night. And get something warm on – a sweatshirt, or something similar. We'll start dinner, now that you're home."

"I didn't bring any sweatshirts."

There was a pause, and then Strange shrugged.

"There's one on your bed."

Another advantage to having a sorcerer so handy, Peter decided, shivering.

"Thanks."


	30. Chapter 30

Strange felt the buzzing in his pocket before he heard the ringtone, and he smiled as he pulled his phone out and enabled the video call. Sure enough, Tony Stark was looking back at him, with a slightly concerned expression and a bit of a sunburn. Strange looked at his watch, frowning.

"What are you doing up at 4am?"

"_Couldn't sleep."_

"Because your _face_ is on fire?" the doctor asked, with a touch of concern. "Doesn't Wakanda have any _sunscreen_ there?"

Stark nodded.

"_I _used _sunscreen, believe me. Anyway, since I couldn't sleep, I thought I'd call Peter and see how his date with MJ went so I could tell Pepper when she wakes up."_

"You clearly _misdialed_, then."

Stark rolled his eyes.

"_Cute. He's not answering. Has he checked in with you?"_

"He's in the shower, I think," Strange told the boy's moderately worried father. "The date seemed to have gone fine, but they were caught in a rainstorm and he came home soaked, so I sent him to take a shower and warm up before dinner."

"_He's okay?"_

"He's _fine_, Tony. I'll make sure he stays that way. I made sure he has some warm clothes to change into, and I'm going to stuff him full of casserole to warm the inside, as well."

"_Did he have a good time?"_

"You'll have to ask him. I didn't have a chance to do it, myself. But he was smiling, so that's a good indicator, I assume."

"_Yeah."_ Stark smiled. _"Tell him I'll call him later, okay?"_

"Sure."

"_And that I love him."_

Strange rolled his eyes.

"He already _knows_ that you love him. Go put some lotion on your face and let me get back to my casserole so your son doesn't starve."

"_Thanks, Stephen."_

"You're welcome. Tell Pepper I said hello."

The call ended and Strange shook his head. He'd better get Wong to find something a lot stronger than whatever Tony had been using on his face. Peter's skin was at least as pale as Stark's and sunburns weren't much fun. He put his phone back into his pocket, and went back to what he was doing.

OOOOOOO

When Peter came down to the kitchen, he was wearing sweats, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt with a hood on over it, looking a little flushed and his hair still damp from the shower. He walked into the room and sat down at the island, watching as Strange started putting ingredients into a casserole dish.

"How do you feel?" the sorcerer asked, noticing that the boy was flushed, but allowing that since he was in a warm shower.

"Better, thanks. What are you making?"

"Casserole. Chicken and noodles, basically."

"Looks good."

He smiled.

"I try. Tony called me looking for you while you were in the shower. It's early there, so don't call him back, but he said he was going to try you later."

"Okay, thanks."

"So? How did it go?"

The boy blushed; even through the flush from the shower Strange could see it. He hid his smile, though. Clearly it hadn't been too bad.

"We went to the park and walked around."

"And?"

"Got rained on."

"_And_?"

He was close enough to Peter by now that he wanted to know at least a little bit more. Besides, _Natasha_ was going to want to know, too. They were all watching the budding relationship with interest, after all.

"We had hotdogs, and watched people walking around, too. We were going to stay out later, but it started raining and we tried to wait it out, but when it didn't seem to be stopping, we just went out in it and got a cab."

"Smart."

"Yeah, I didn't want her to get any wetter than she already was."

"Did you kiss her?"

"Yeah." It popped out before he could censor himself – which had been the whole idea of asking such a direct question. "I mean… well, _yeah_. While we were waiting for the rain to stop."

"But nothing _more_ than that, right?"

Now he was blushing so deep red that he was a match for Tony's sunburn. He smiled, though, knowing it, and shook his head.

"I wouldn't try anything else. Not really."

"Good. Then I don't need to have the talk with you?"

Peter shook his head.

"_Tony_ already did."

"_And_ I don't need to worry about you sneaking out to rendezvous with her in the middle of the night?"

He shook his head, again.

"No. We're not dumb enough to do anything like that."

"I'm relieved to hear it. And I'm _glad_ you had a good time." He put his casserole dish in the oven, and washed his hands. Then he pressed a palm against the boy's forehead, now able to check for any fever. "You're warm, but not too bad. Probably residual from being here."

"I feel okay," Peter assured him.

"Good. Make sure you let me know if anything changes. We don't want you getting sick before your trip."

"Yeah. Thanks."

Who better to keep him healthy than a _doctor_, right?

"Dinner will be in about 45 minutes. Let's go see what Wong's doing with those plants."

They walked up to the third floor, Strange with his hand companionably on Peter's shoulder – also checking for chills, even though the boy didn't know it – and didn't need to know it. He was relieved there weren't any; he knew he was being a little overcautious, but with Peter it was sometimes necessary. The boy was overly sensitive to some things that seemed fairly innocent – like the whole nutmeg thing – while he could have a building fall on him with only a few scratches.

Wong was at the large marble table. He had the plants in their original pot in front of him, and several different books strewn about around them. He looked up when they entered, and Peter found himself suddenly being throttled by the cloak, which was cheerfully chiding him in his mind for being gone all day and not spending all his spare time with it.

"How was the date?" Wong asked, once Peter survived the cloak's initial assault and it settled itself around his shoulders.

"It was fun," Peter told him, walking over to the table, and sitting on the edge. "We got rained on, though."

"It's raining?"

"Look out a window, sometime," Strange told him, amused.

"You're one to talk."

Peter snorted, looking at the plants. One looked like a cactus – from what little he remembered seeing in cartoons about people getting themselves in trouble with them – and the others had actual leaves. One had a bright pink flower that must have just bloomed, because Peter hadn't seen a flower on it, before, when he'd seen them in Pepper and Tony's quarters sorting wedding gifts.

"That's pretty," he said, reaching out to touch it because it almost didn't look real.

Before he could, the cloak slapped his hand away at the exact same time Wong moved the entire pot aside with a thought. The boy looked surprised, but Strange just smiled at the cavalier treatment.

"I think you're better off being a casual _observer_, Peter," he said, with an emphasis on the _observer_ part. "Given your track record with plants."

"One plant out of a _thousand_," the boy pointed out. He put his hand down, though, resting it on the table. "What are the odds of one of these being dangerous?"

"Let's not risk them, okay?" Wong asked. "Give me a chance to categorize them and double check their properties before you start getting too chummy with them."

"Knowing our luck," Strange said. "You'll find the one plant in Wakanda that they use as spider repellent, or something."

Peter shrugged.

"I would have washed my hands," he assured them.

That lesson had been well and truly learned, after all.

"Anything interesting?" Strange asked Wong.

"I've just started cross-checking to see if we already know what they are. Nothing, yet."

"Dinner's in forty minutes."

Before he could reply, Peter's phone sang Ironman at him, and the boy grinned and pulled it out of his pocket to answer the call. He started to say hello when he saw Tony on the other end of the call, but frowned.

"Wow… you are really red…"

Stark scowled.

_"I'm fine, son. How are you?"_

Peter grinned, just happy to see him – and knowing he was going to want to know all about his date with MJ. Especially when Pepper put herself into the video as well, her chin once more on Tony's shoulder so she could look at him. He noticed she was red, too.

"Apparently I need to go shopping for sunscreen before I go to Wakanda."


	31. Chapter 31

_A/N: Pull yourselves away from GoT for a moment - if you can!_

OOOOOOOO

"Feeling alright?"

Peter looked up at Dr. Strange, who was leaning over the back of the couch the boy was sitting on, drowsing a little after eating more dinner than was probably good for him, but unable to help himself. Strange could _cook_.

"Yeah. Just being lazy."

A cool hand found his forehead.

"You're a little warm."

"I _feel_ warm. But not sick."

Which was an important distinction for him, since the sanctum and the cloak that was cuddling him were both sure-fired ways to get him fevered.

"Let me know if that changes."

"I will."

"Need anything?"

"No. I'm just going to sit here for a while. Shuri's been really busy, but she might call, later."

And if she didn't, he'd just lounge around. There was nothing wrong with that, really. He didn't always have to be _doing_ something to be entertained.

"I'm going to be in the library."

"Okay." He caught the sorcerer's sleeve before he could go, though. "Thanks for letting me stay here with you guys."

Strange smiled.

"You're welcome, Peter. You're _always_ welcomed here. Don't forget that."

The boy smiled and Strange left, feeling gooey inside and getting away from Peter before he could blast him with another dose of sentimentality. Peter closed his eyes, listening to the cloak in his mind, and softly humming along with the lullaby it was crooning to him. The same song it always hummed when it was simply relaxing with him like it was, just then.

"Is that from earth?" he asked it, curiously.

It wasn't anything he'd ever heard before, as far as he knew.

There was a gentle negative, but the crooning continued. Peter would have liked to know more about the tune – if it _was_ one – but he didn't know how to ask any yes/no questions that would cover what he wanted to know, so he simply closed his eyes, again. If he listened closely, he could hear the rain falling outside, and the faint traffic noises. He knew that he shouldn't be able to hear any of it, since the sanctum muffled the city around it fairly well, but Peter had very good hearing.

Apparently not as good as the cloak's, however, because after about half an hour, it suddenly perked up, and the song playing in Peter's mind was interrupted by a note of curiosity. He opened his eyes, looking at it, wondering if he should be alarmed. It didn't seem to be, after all. Just curious.

"Trouble?" he asked.

A no. But it disengaged itself from his shoulders and swept through the air, heading for the entranceway and the front door, and Peter followed. The boy heard a faint noise, then, and opened the door, with the cloak hovering over his right shoulder. He looked that way, first, uncertain what he was expecting, and then heard a soft squeak and looked down toward his feet. Huddled in the corner of the entrance to the sanctum, soaking wet and mewling, softly, was a kitten.

"Oh…" Peter stepped up to it and knelt down, picking it up and cradling it against his sweatshirt. "Poor baby. You're _soaked_."

It was trembling, and squeaking – a noise that was clearly supposed to be a meow, but wasn't forming just right. Peter hurried back into the sanctum, closing the door behind him.

"Go get Doctor Strange."

The cloak swept away, heading up the stairs and Peter turned and walked to the kitchen with his small burden. He had only barely found a dishtowel and was drying the little thing when Strange and Wong both came rushing into the room. Both sorcerers were clearly expecting trouble to judge from their expressions, and they both stopped at the island, looking at the boy, who was intent on his task.

"What's going on?" Wong asked, breathless from the headlong run into the kitchen.

They had both been reading when the cloak had suddenly appeared, and was so agitated that they were certain Peter had hurt himself or gotten into trouble. Both men had visions of another incident like the toddler thing going through their minds, and the sight of him in the kitchen seemingly perfectly fine was clearly not what either had expected.

"It was outside on the doorstep," Peter explained, opening the towel to show them who he'd meant. "Poor thing must be lost." He looked at Strange. "Will you check him out?"

"I'm not a vet," the magician said, almost automatically as he reached for the kitten Peter was holding out to him, towel and all.

The moment he had it in his hands the tiny creature was suddenly dry – although it continued to shiver while Strange looked it over, checking for any injuries that he could see. The dishtowel turned into a small, soft blanket that he wrapped around the kitten before handing it back to the boy.

"Is it okay?" he asked, worried.

"_He_," Strange stressed the pronoun. "Seems to be fine. The real question is, what are you planning on _doing_ with him?"

Peter shrugged, cradling the blanket wrapped kitten in his arms, protectively. He noticed that the blanket was warm, and decided that Strange had made it so on purpose.

"I don't know. I couldn't leave it _outside_, though."

"Of course you _couldn't_," Wong agreed. "It's a _baby_." He looked at Strange and scowled at the expression on his friend's face. "What? It _is_."

"We'll keep him here, tonight," Strange said, turning to Peter. "You can call around in the morning and see if anyone has lost him."

"And if they _haven't_?" Peter asked.

"Then the Avengers have just found themselves a cat to keep Jack company, I suppose. But _you_ have to tell Tony – and I get to be nearby when you do."

The boy smiled, and looked down at the kitten, which was looking up at him, its expression almost drunk after going from cold and wet to warm and dry so quickly. It was pretty young, but Peter didn't know a lot about cats – even less than he did about _dogs_, really. It was yellow and white, with stripes on his head and presumably on the rest of his body.

"We should probably see if he's hungry," Wong said. A bag of kitten kibble and a box of small cans of moist food appeared on the kitchen island, along with a little box, some litter, and an array of toys; feathers on sticks, strings on sticks and a scratching post with a ball on a spring on the top. There was also a food dish with cat prints on it – and an Avenger logo – and a matching water dish. The sorcerer looked at Strange, defensively, when he received another odd look. "_What_? Do you _want_ him to get bored and start knocking things off the shelves?"

"No." The doctor smiled, amused, watching as Wong filled the water dish, and Peter opened a can of the moist food, both of them talking baby-talk to the kitten, who was watching them with interest. "He sleeps in your room, Peter," Strange said. "We don't want to lose him in the sanctum – and we don't want him running loose. There are too many things that could potentially hurt him."

"Okay."

His phone rang, then, and while Strange would have paid good money to hear the _Ironman_ ringtone just then, it wasn't Tony calling. Peter grinned, though, handing the kitten to Wong so he could answer it – and the little guy wouldn't have to wait for him to finish to get fed. Shuri's image came up on his phone's upright display, and she smiled, cheerfully.

_"Good evening to you, Peter my love."_

Telling him that T'Challa was close by – if not Tony, as well.

"Hi, Shuri. You look beautiful as usual."

Strange rolled his eyes, well aware of what the two were doing, thanks to Natasha. Wong looked over at Peter with surprise, though. It was obviously not something that he'd heard about.

_"You say the nicest things. What happened to your face?"_

He shook his head.

"Workout accident." He didn't go into detail, just in case Okoye was about, as well. "Everything going okay?"

_"It is fine. Pepper and Tony are being treated like royalty – but they did get a bit too much sun, yesterday."_

"I saw."

_"Do not worry. Our healers are already supplying them with a balm that will ease the pain and heal the skin, quickly."_

"Thanks." Peter grinned, and reached one-handed for the kitten. "Look what I found."

The kitten meowed, as if in greeting – but probably in protest at being taken from the food dish – and Shuri's eyes widened as did her smile.

_"Oh! It is adorable!"_

"He was out in the rain," Peter explained. "I'll see if I can find out who owns him, tomorrow."

_"Are you going to keep him if you cannot?"_

"If Tony will let me."

Why not? A cat didn't need nearly the attention that a dog like Jack needed. And the Avengers had proven more than capable of handling a puppy. They should be able to handle a cat, too.

"Tell her not to tell Tony or Pepper about him," Strange said.

Shuri heard him, though, and smiled.

_"I will not. We will allow you surprise them with him."_

"You don't want a kitten?" Peter asked – just in case she did.

_"He would not be as safe here, as he is there_," she replied. _"We have many predators here that would find him a tempting target."_

"I'll keep him here, then."

_"I should go,_" the girl told him. "_I just wanted to check in with you."_

"I'm glad you did. You're a bright ray of sunshine in the rainstorm of my afternoon."

She chuckled.

_"Good night my love."_

The call ended, and Strange raised an eyebrow, amused.

_"'A bright ray of sunshine in the rainstorm of your afternoon'?"_

Peter grinned and shrugged.

"I'm running out of flowery things to call her."

"Find a _poetry book_," Wong suggested, figuring things out on his own. He was pretty observant, too. "They always have mindless drivel in them."

"Thanks. I will."

Peter sat the cat back down on the island and it went for the food dish, hungrily. Strange watched for a moment as Peter and Wong both made a fuss over the kitten, who was ignoring them for the moment; more intent on eating. He looked at the cloak, which was hovering nearby and didn't seem quite as enamored of the idea of having a cat around – even temporarily.

"I'm going back to the library," he said. He waited, but neither of them looked up. The Sorcerer Supreme rolled his eyes. "Call me if you need me."

He left, fairly certain that he wasn't go to hear from either of them the rest of the evening.


	32. Chapter 32

Strange looked up from his second cup of coffee of the day when Peter and Wong walked into the kitchen. Peter was smiling, his expression smug, and Wong was carrying a pet taxi that was meowing, anxiously. The cloak was hitching a ride on Peter's shoulders, but moved to Strange's when they arrived in the room.

"What are you two up to?" the doctor asked, curiously.

"We just finished Peter's morning lesson," Wong told him, causing Stephen to look at the boy, again, automatically doing a double take to see if there were any new bruises to explain to Tony. The other man smiled; knowing immediately what he was looking for. "He's got it figured out, now. I didn't land on him."

Which explained why Peter looked smug.

"What's with your little friend?"

"He kept getting underfoot," Wong explained. "Literally."

"Wong stepped on his _tail_."

"So into the carrier he went."

Wong had set it up on the island and now opened it to let the kitten go. Perversely, now that it _could_ get out, the little yellow kitten wasn't interested in leaving, and Strange watched, amused, as the other magician fished the little guy out and set him down on the floor. It was one thing to have a cold, wet, kitten on the island to dry him off, but he was going to make breakfast, now, and they didn't want cat hair in everything.

The kitten had other ideas and climbed right up Peter's jeans – eliciting a gasp and a wince as tiny sharp kitty claws undoubtedly found sensitive skin – then it made its way up his t-shirt and jumped back up onto the island. Wong tapped it on the nose, gently, in remonstration and set it back down on the floor and Peter winced again as it immediately took the same route back to the island, landing there with an inquisitive meow.

The boy scooped him up one-handed, clearly done with that game.

"I'll feed him."

"Then I'll feed _us_," Wong agreed, looking at Strange to see if he was hungry.

"Yes."

Before they could decide what they wanted to eat, Peter's pocket suddenly began playing _Ironman_, and the doctor's expression was suddenly expectant as the boy juggled phone and kitten and answered Tony's call. Pepper and Tony both appeared, in their now usual position of Pepper behind Tony, her chin resting on his shoulder.

Both of them smiled at him when he answered, and it was Pepper who spoke, first.

_"Hi, sweetheart. Are you busy?"_

"No. Hey mom, hi dad." They both got that expression that Peter loved seeing on them; a mix between happy, content and something that was so loving he couldn't even think of a word for it. "What did you do today?"

_"Spent the day nursing our sunburns and watching the river traffic,"_ Tony told him. _"It was peaceful."_

"How do you feel?" he asked them both.

_"We miss you,_" Pepper told him._ "Other than that, this place would be paradise."_

_"What are you doing today?"_ Tony asked, before the subject could get too maudlin.

"I just had a lesson with Wong…" he waited while they both searched his face for new bruises. "And now I'm going to make some calls to see if anyone is missing a kitten."

He shifted the phone just enough to allow them to see what he was holding. Pepper smiled.

_"You found him?"_

"He was on the doorstep, last night," Peter explained. "He was cold and wet and shivering."

_"If he was at the sanctum's door, then I'd say he's a _wizard _problem,"_ Tony pointed out, well aware what that response would be and assuming Strange was close enough to hear. _"Wouldn't you agree?"_

"_Peter_ brought him inside," Strange said, sticking his head into the call in front of the boy and winking at them. "That makes him an _Avenger_ problem. Right, Pepper?"

_"Oh, no. You are not bringing me into this conversation."_ She smiled at Peter as Strange pulled a little to the side so they could see the boy – and the kitten. _"Are you planning on keeping him if you can't find his owner?"_

"Oh. Well, I was _thinking_ about it. _Maybe_?"

_"We could use an Avenger kitty,"_ Tony said, reading Peter's uncertainty, easily, and wanting to put him at ease. _"Take care of the mouse problem at the compound."_

"Do you _have_ a mouse problem at the compound?" Wong asked, curiously.

_"No, but we could bring some in for him if we needed to in order to justify a cat."_ Stark locked eyes with Peter, who smiled, touched. _"Try to find his real home, Peter. Some little kid might be crying his eyes out this morning. If you can't though, we'll keep him. He's cute."_

"I will."

_"You're going to the compound, today?"_

Proving that he was keeping in contact with the others – at least a little.

"Yeah. After breakfast." Peter smiled. "They _miss_ me."

_"Of course they miss you. You're their bright ray of sunshine on a cloudy day."_

Pepper snorted, and they all smiled at the sound.

"You talked to Shuri?" Peter said, amused to hear his own words coming from Tony.

_"To T'Challa. Shuri has been busy fixing something that went FUBAR on one of their mag trains almost since we got here. That young lady is brilliant."_

"Yeah."

_"Well, we're going to go find some dinner and then watch the sunset. Do you need anything?"_

"I'm good."

_"Stephen?"_

"No. He's fine, Tony. Have a good evening."

_"We love you,"_ Pepper added.

"I love you, too," Peter assured them.

The call ended, and Peter found himself feeling a little teary-eyed. Which was dumb, he knew. They'd only been gone a few days, after all. He looked down at the kitten, and cleared his throat.

"Let's get you fed, huh?"

The kitten meowed at him, whether in response, or because it was tired of being quiet, it didn't matter. Wong smiled.

"What do we want for breakfast?"

OOOOOOO

They arrived in the compound directly in Peter's quarters. The boy was holding the kitten – who seemed to accept being moved around with a thought with the same equanimity that it had accepted being dried off in an instant. Strange looked down at it, curious to see if there was a reaction, and shrugged when he saw the little guy just looking around, seemingly content to be in Peter's arm, just then. Cats.

"Need anything?" He asked Peter, who shook his head.

"You _could_ stay," he reminded him. "Natasha would be glad to see you."

"Tell her I'll stay for dinner when I come get you."

He _did_ have a few things to take care of, after all, and with Peter at the compound safe with the Avengers, he wouldn't be distracted by being worried about him. A bag of the same kind of kitten kibble that they'd been feeding the kitten appeared on Peter's coffee table, along with another box of canned food, an identical food dish – complete with Avenger logo – a water dish, scratching post and several toys.

As well as a very small blue collar with an identification tag. Peter picked it up and looked at it. There wasn't a name; just an Avengers A on it, with the boy's cell number underneath. Peter smiled; he'd spent almost an hour calling around to various shelters and vet's offices after breakfast to see if anyone was missing a kitten and had been told the same thing each time. No one was missing one, and it was probably a stray who had been separated from its mother in the storm. All of them mentioned that he could bring it in and they would attempt to find a home for him, but Peter had simply politely thanked them and hung up.

The kitten _had_ a home. He just didn't have a _name_, yet.

"Thanks."

Strange winked.

"Just in case he gets loose."

He put the collar on the kitten while Peter held it still, and then told him to call if he needed anything, and vanished. Peter looked down at the kitten.

"Let's go find Natasha. She's going to love you."


	33. Chapter 33

He didn't really _have_ to look for Romanoff. That was the good thing about being home. Karen knew where Natasha was, and Peter and the kitten headed for one of the briefing rooms and hung out in the corridor outside the door while he waited for her to be finished. He was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, petting the kitten who was purring so loudly the boy was surprised the vibrations weren't shaking the little guy into a million pieces.

"What do you have there?"

He looked up and smiled. Natasha had joined him while he was studying the tag on the small blue collar.

"I _found_ him," Peter told her, holding him up so she could hold him while he got to his feet.

Romanoff took the cat, and smiled. She noticed the tag, immediately, which told her that the boy had every intention of keeping the little creature. _She_ approved, of course. He needed a pet. He didn't want a dog, because of how much work they were – and Jack proved quite nicely just how much responsibility went into having a puppy. But a cat – once it was beyond those kitten months where it needed attention – was another matter, entirely. _They_ didn't require much more than food, a littler box and affection whenever it was in the mood to be petted.

"Stephen knows?"

Peter nodded.

"Where do you think I got the collar?"

Still holding the kitten, she hugged him close.

"I missed you."

Which made him feel good, because he knew it was true.

"I missed you, too. Anything interesting going on?"

"If she _tells_ you, then she has to _kill_ you," Clint said, walking up behind Peter just in time to hear the question.

The archer grabbed Peter from behind, hugging him, but probably tempted to wrestle the boy to the floor, as well. Only the fact that it was the hard floor of the corridor and not carpeting or grass stopped him, and Peter grinned.

"Natasha _loves_ me. Besides, if she killed me, then she'd orphan my new kitten and _she_ would be responsible for raising him."

"Small price to pay," Barton teased, letting Peter go and taking the kitten from Romanoff. "Where did you find him?"

"On the doorstep of the sanctum last night," Peter told them both, watching as Clint made kissy faces to the cat and baby-talked him. "He was wet and freezing."

"Poor baby," Natasha said, smiling at the way Barton was acting. "What did Stephen say?"

"He's an Avenger problem and not a wizard problem."

Which made both of them smile.

"What did _Tony_ say?" Clint asked.

"See if I can find his owner, and if not, we'll keep him to control the pest problem here at the compound – although I don't know how he's going to keep you away."

"_Burn!"_

Natasha smiled.

"You're here for the day?"

"Doctor Strange will come for dinner and take me back to the sanctum, then."

"How are your lessons going?" Barton asked. "Is that how you got the black eye?"

"Yeah. I dropped the staff and Wong tried to pull the blow, but it hit me right on the nose."

"Lucky you didn't break it," Natasha said.

"I know."

They started walking, rather than hanging out in the corridor, and Barton continued to cuddle and love up the kitten.

"What's his name?"

"He doesn't have one, yet," Peter admitted. "I thought we could vote – like we did with Jack."

"We could call him Danger Kitty," Clint suggested.

"I'm not naming him after a band."

"I'm so impressed that you knew that was a band…"

"I have the internet at my fingertips," Peter reminded him.

"We'll have to come up with something epic," Natasha said as they walked into the lounge. "Something perfect."

"Not _Fuzzy_," Clint said, quickly. "He has to have a cool name."

"Not Spot, either," Romanoff said with a smile for Peter.

"Here," Clint handed the kitten back to Peter. "Go get a seat, I'll get drinks."

He and Natasha went to their regular table, and sat down, and the boy looked at her and then down at the kitten.

"I suppose we'll have to make sure no one here is really allergic to cats before I get too attached to him. It wouldn't be fair to them to have one running around, and it wouldn't be fair to him to make him stay in my rooms, all the time."

It was clear to Natasha that Peter was already attached to the kitten, though. She wasn't worried about anyone being allergic, really. They could figure it out. Before she could say anything, however, they were interrupted by Steve and Nick Fury, who had come into the lounge and immediately noticed Peter.

"What do we have here?" Steve asked, rhetorically, smiling at Peter and taking the kitten from him.

"Peter found him last night at the sanctum," Natasha told them. "If he can't find an owner, we're going to _keep_ him."

"Jack's going to have a little brother," Steve said, putting his face right into the kitten's, teasing it with his nose. "Perfect. He's in time-out, right now, for chewing the legs of my coffee table, but we can introduce them, later."

"Watch yourself, Rogers," Fury said, pulling the fuzzy creature from Steve's grasp and staring at it, _hard_. "You never know what a cat might do."

"He's a _baby_, Nick," Steve protested.

"The world's most _vicious_ baby, though, huh little guy?" Clint added, having returned with a handful of bottles of colas, which he gave to Peter to sort out before he stuck his face into the kitten's, as well, smiling at the way it meowed at him, as if in response. "We're going to need to put up warning signs all over the perimeter fence. _Keep Out, Dangerous Attack Cat_."

Fury shook his head and handed the cat back to Steve. His Avengers were gone, that was all there was to it. If the bad guys in the world had any idea how little it took to turn them all into quivering masses of baby-talking idiots, they're be airdropping litters of kittens into the compound left and right.

"I'm just _saying_…" he said, ruffling Peter's hair to remind the boy that he was glad to see him. "Never trust a cat. They're devious."

"Don't listen to Uncle Nick," Steve told the kitten, making a point to cover the creature's ears. "He's supposed to be wary of everything around him. It's his _job_."

"How did you get the black eye?" Fury asked the boy, ignoring Rogers.

"Got hit with a stick."

"Strange is teaching you to play fetch?"

Romanoff grinned; Nick had a playful side, but rarely allowed it to show. Peter always seemed to be the exception, though.

"Wong is teaching me fight with spears," the boy corrected, also smiling. "We made some sticks without the points, to start."

"Wise decision."

"Yeah."

The former director of SHIELD looked at Romanoff.

"You're keeping an eye on things?"

Meaning, was she making sure there weren't going to be too many black eyes in the boy's future. All joking aside, he didn't like to see the boy injured - even though he knew it was part of the learning process.

"Yeah. He's fine."

"Good. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

"We will."

"And keep your faces away from that thing," Fury added as he headed for the entrance to the lounge.

He had other things to do, after all.

Steve sat down and took one of the bottles of soda Peter had set on the table and opened it, easily juggling kitten, bottle opener and bottle as he turned his attention Peter, happy to see the boy, but unwilling to let him have his kitten back, just yet.

"So? What's been going on? Anything interesting?"

Peter smiled, and blushed.

"A few things…"


	34. Chapter 34

"You _kissed_ her?"

Steve looked as shocked as Natasha and Clint. Even the kitten in Clint's arms was staring at him. Although it probably didn't have anything to do with the current conversation.

"Yeah."

"On the _lips_?"

Peter blushed, wondering if MJ would approve of him telling everyone. But _they_ were his family, and they were the ones who would tell him if what he'd done seemed appropriate, or if he was rushing things. He wasn't an expert, after all, and he didn't want to ruin what he had going by fast tracking things and making MJ uncomfortable.

"Yes."

Natasha smiled at the blushes, but this was something the guys should be talking to him about – unless they got it wrong, of course. Then she'd step in and straighten them all out.

"Do we need to have a talk, since Tony's not here to have it with you?" Clint asked, slyly, well aware that Peter would get even redder.

Which he did.

"No. Tony and May have both covered that."

"Are you _sure_? It'd be good practice for when my boys get a little older."

Peter rolled his eyes.

"You don't think I'm rushing things, do you?" he asked them seriously.

"No. I think a kiss is a good place to start. And to hold steady for a while," Steve added, quickly, making the other adults smile. "There's no rush, right?"

"I don't think so," Peter agreed.

"Why don't you show us what you've learned from Wong?" Natasha suggested. "Unless you'd rather sit around and do nothing all day?"

Peter shook his head.

"No. That's fine." He looked at Clint. "You'll hold him and keep him out of the way?"

"Yeah. He won't get in the way, will you little guy? No you will not…"

The archer buried his face in the kitten's fuzzy belly, still baby talking him when they got up and headed for the gym.

"He _might_," Peter warned him. "Wong stepped on his tail this morning."

"Poor baby…"

OOOOO

He had a good time that afternoon, reminding himself why he loved living where he did – and with the people that he lived with. They sparred – first him and Natasha, and then him and Clint (while Steve held the kitten to keep him out of trouble) and Natasha stated that she was really pleased with his progress. Which made him smile, excitedly. He knew he wasn't going to be good enough to beat Okoye or any of T'Challa's guards with only a couple of weeks' practice under his belt, but he didn't want to look ridiculous, either, and Steve was impressed with his defense.

They had lunch in the lounge after they sparred. Peter stopped in his room and debated whether the kitten would want to continue hanging out with him and the Avengers, or if he needed a break from being toted around and being made much of, but decided a little more toting wouldn't be such a bad thing. He was a baby, after all, and they needed attention.

He did pick up a couple of the feathers on a stick and string that Strange had summoned up for him – and realized that a litter box wasn't one of the things he had available, just then – which might be necessary, obviously. He'd figure something out.

They spent some time playing with the kitten after they ate, and discussing different ideas for names – but held off on any decisions, because Peter wanted Tony and Pepper to have input, as well.

"We could call him Lightning," Natasha said. "Or _Raindrop_, since you found him in the rain."

"Or _Sanctum_," Clint suggested, rolling his eyes. "Since you found him on the sanctum doorstep."

Steve shook his head, lifting the kitten up and making kissy faces at it, yet again.

"Can you believe them?" he asked it. "Everyone knows you should be named _Cat_ain America…"

Barton snorted.

OOOOOOO

"Where's your friend?" Strange asked when he walked into the lounge just before dinner time.

He went to the table in the corner, where Peter was sitting with Natasha, playing chess.

"Steve took him to introduce him to Jack," the boy said, looking up and greeting him with a smile. "He's going turn him loose in his quarters to let him walk around and to see how they do, together unchaperoned. Clint went with him."

The doctor smiled and sat down next to Natasha, but it was her turn, so she only brushed her hand along his thigh, since she was trying to decide her next move.

"I'd hardly call that _unchaperoned_."

"Clint doesn't count as adult supervision," Romanoff pointed out, moving her knight and looking at Peter, expectantly.

"I take it no one is against the idea of an Avenger kitty?"

"Nope." Peter was watching the board, now, trying to decide how he wanted to take Natasha's queen and if he could put her in check if he used the pawn. "They have yet to come up with any great names, though."

"I don't know," Natasha said, frowning when Peter's knight captured a bishop. "I was kind of captivated by Bubble-O-seven."

Peter rolled his eyes.

"It wouldn't fit on his tag."

"Gigobite?"

He smiled at Strange, who raised an eyebrow.

"Has she been coming up with these all day?"

"They _all_ have. Clint even called Lila to ask her what she thought I should name him."

"I'm almost afraid to ask."

"_Mr. Purple_," Natasha said.

"Not Peter Purrer?"

Romanoff snickered, and Peter rolled his eyes.

"Cute."

"I thought so. What other names, or do I even _want_ to know?"

"Schrodinger – that was from Bruce. And Pawsinova."

"I'm sorry I missed the brainstorming."

"We still need to let Tony and Pepper weigh in on it," Peter said, watching as Natasha captured the pawn that he was going to take her queen with. "They might have a good idea."

"Are you two about ready to eat?" he asked.

"We're almost done," Natasha said. "Do you guys have big secret wizard plans, tonight?"

"Checkmate," Peter said, taking her queen with a rook.

"We're not playing chess," Strange told her.

OOOOOO

They weren't in any hurry to get back to the sanctum after dinner. Steve had joined them with Jack, and Clint walked in with the hitherto unnamed kitten, both greeting Strange cheerfully before eating and announcing that the two animals seemed just fine with the other.

"As long as the kitten likes being mauled and slobbered on," Barton added.

"Which he didn't seem to mind…" Steve added, with a shrug.

When they were done eating, Natasha and Clint went to the floor in the corner that had once been Peter's play corner during his toddler episode and the boy watched as they played with Jack and the kitten, only to grin when his phone started singing _Ironman_ to him.

"Right on time," Stephen said, amused as he always was that Tony had his own theme song.

Both Pepper and Tony were on the other end of the call, and both looked less sunburned by then. Peter smiled at them, and the doctor watched his eyes light up when he saw them.

"Hey, guys."

"_Hey_," Tony said, looking in the background behind Peter. _"You're at the compound?"_

"Yeah. I spent the day with Natasha and the others." He told them.

_"Did you find the cat's owners?_" Pepper asked.

"No. I called a bunch of shelters and Wong suggested veterinarian offices, so I tried some of them, too."

"_Some_?" Tony asked, amused. "_Or just one of each and then hanging up on them before they could answer?"_

Peter smiled at the teasing, but he shook his head.

"No, I made the attempt. Just in case you were right about someone missing him."

_"And no one seems to be?"_

"No. They mostly said he was probably a stray separated from his mother in the storm."

_"Poor little guy…"_ Pepper said.

"He's fallen into a barrel of cream," Strange assured them, taking Peter's phone from him and turning it so that Pepper and Tony could see the kitten on the floor with Jack, who was wagging his tail, furiously, and trying to lick the kitten and avoid having a paw in the face at the same time. Natasha, Clint and now Steve were all sitting on the floor with the two animals, clearly enjoy themselves. "I don't think you need to worry about him being taken care of when Peter comes to join you."

_"Probably not,_" Tony agreed, once Peter had been handed his phone, again. "_What are you going to name him?"_

Peter went through the list of names that had been suggested, making both of them smile.

"_Your mom thought of one for it,_" Tony said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh?" Peter knew it was going to be interesting, just to judge by Tony's reaction.

_"How about Nutmeg?"_ Pepper asked. "_He kind of looks like a Nutmeg."_

Strange grinned.

"If I get a vote, that's my vote."


	35. Chapter 35

When they returned to the sanctum, Peter let the kitten down to wander his bedroom. The litter box was there – if needed – and he made sure there was plenty of things for it to do, presuming it wasn't going to just curl up and go to sleep after a busy day of being cooed over by the Avengers. He shut the door and headed to the third-floor library.

"Ready?" Wong asked, standing up from where he'd been looking at the Wakanda plants.

"Yeah."

They were going to go spar. Peter liked learning new styles of fighting, and Wong enjoyed having a student like him and was willing to indulge the fact that the boy would have four lessons a day if they allowed him to.

Strange joined them and they walked to the sparring room, where the staffs were leaning against the wall by the door. Peter picked one up as they went by, and Strange noticed that he handled it far more comfortably than he had before.

"You worked with Natasha and the Avengers this afternoon?" Wong asked, when they were facing each other.

"Yes. Mostly I just showed them what you already taught me. Natasha wants to keep track of what I'm learning with you so she can work around it if I'm at the compound."

"Smart." The magician went into a defensive stance. "Show me."

Strange watched, impressed, as Peter went on the attack, the staff in his hands twirling as he made his move. It was a slow attack; the boy wasn't very good at it, and Wong focused on making sure that he had the motion down first before he went to full speed. The blow was parried, but it landed exactly where it was supposed to go.

As did the next few.

"Very good, Peter," Stephen said. "You really are getting the hang of it, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Like Wong said; once you get comfortable holding it, it's pretty much it's a piece of you."

"A student who _listens_," the magician said, shaking his head and poking the boy with the end of his stick. "As rare as a unicorn eating a French fry."

Wong worked Peter for almost two hours before calling a halt to things. By then both of them were tired and sweaty, but Peter's blows were coming faster and steadier, now, and while he still wasn't at full speed, he was getting closer.

"Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?"

Peter shook his head, taking the towel that Strange offered once the lesson was done.

"I thought I'd just hang out here."

"With _Nutmeg_?" Wong asked as they headed out of the sparring room toward the main stairs.

Peter grinned. It wasn't the kitten's _official_ name, yet, but by the time they'd left the compound, Steve had called it that once or twice – as had Natasha and Strange. He had a feeling that Clint was holding out for Danger Kitty, still – which wasn't going to happen. Naturally Wong had been told all the names that had come up, and he'd approved of Nutmeg, as well.

"Maybe I'll teach him how to play fetch."

"Good luck teaching a _cat_ anything," Strange said.

"You can teach them a lot of things," Wong corrected. "They're very smart, after all. Getting them to _do_ whatever it is that you want them to do is another matter entirely."

"True."

Peter told the men goodnight and went to his quarters, with the cloak hanging cheerfully from his shoulder. He opened the door carefully, just to make sure he wasn't going to whack the kitten if it was hanging out close by. He didn't need to worry, though. When he looked into the room to see where the kitten was he found that it had climbed up onto his bed and was asleep, curled up with his Ironman plush doll.

The boy frowned, and untangled the sleeping kitten from it, gently, feeling just the faintest of protest at seeing anything else touching his toy and shook his head, smiling. He had to blame that on the toddler still lurking somewhere inside him, because he wasn't really that covetous, really.

Or maybe he _was,_ and he just couldn't admit it.

He set the doll on the shelf that held a couple of pictures, and then got ready for bed, going to the bathroom down the hall to brush his teeth and thinking that the sanctum was great, but he did like having his own bathroom in his quarters at the compound.

A bit later, and he was laying in bed, the kitten bundled sleepily on his chest where it could be petted, and the cloak humming cheerfully into his mind as it was curled around both of them. Peter allowed his thoughts to drift to Tony and Pepper, naturally, and then to Wakanda. He found images of the country flashing casually through his mind; a slideshow of different parts of the country and the people who lived there, courtesy of the Mind stone, most likely, since he'd seen a lot of pictures that Shuri had sent but didn't recognize anything but some distinctive buildings in the capitol.

The boy drifted off, the wildlife in Wakanda running through his mind and the calming humming of the Cloak of Levitation lulling him to sleep.

The kitten wasn't quite as ready to settle in for the night since it had already had a nap, and it started to move, standing up and heading for the side of the bed, looking for mischief. It found the way blocked by heavy fabric, and tried to go around the barricade – which continued to move, corralling it with gentle nudges that directed it back the way he'd come, and eventually enclosed it in a smaller and smaller pocket of space until it was pressed between Peter's side and the cloak. When the fabric became warm, Nutmeg decided a nap might be better than roaming after all, and settled in and went to sleep, too.

OOOOOO

"This place is amazing…"

Pepper nodded, and rested her head on her husband's shoulder, smiling as she did that she was finally able to call him that – even in her mind.

"I don't understand how they remained hidden for so long."

"It's tech, Pepper," he told her, running his fingertips along her cheek as they watched a raft float down the river in front of them, as if purposely trying to contradict what he was telling her. "They're crazy ahead of the rest of the world, and used that to keep the world from knowing it."

"Ahead of you?" she asked, smiling.

"In some way, yes. Mainly because I have to follow codes and permit laws when I want to build something – unless it's something small. The Wakandans – and Shuri, especially – have only T'Challa to answer to. That gives them a bit more freedom. My nanotech is probably on par with anything they have, if the polymorph that Shuri gave Peter is the standard to judge by – although I'm limited to the metals I have, compared to the Vibranium they have access to."

"You could make your suit out of it?"

"Yeah, but then it'd be _black_. Vibranium doesn't respond to being used as an alloy, and it's only one color. I like the gold and red."

"It suits you."

"I can't wait for Peter to get here and see this place. He's tech-head enough that he'll love it. Especially when we start looking around the city."

They were saving that for when he arrived, but they knew Shuri was looking forward to showing them her workroom.

"I miss him."

He smiled and tilted his head to press a kiss against her cheek.

"I do, too. What are we going to do when he goes away to _college_?"

"I don't even want to think about that. Maybe we'll build a college on the compound grounds."

They both smiled at that.

"It's too late to call him, right now."

"I know."

They always knew what time it was back home, because they would both look at the time and try to decide what he was doing, just then.

"Come on. I'll make us some lunch, and then we'll wait and see if the baby zebra comes around with his mother, again, and try to get a picture for Peter."

"We'll have to make sure he doesn't try to sneak it home with us, when we leave."

"I think we'd have to worry mire that he tries to sneak _Shuri_ home."


	36. Chapter 36

Peter felt a little warmer than normal when he woke the next morning. He realized that the cloak was warming him, and that he hadn't turned on the air conditioner and decided that that was probably why. He saw Nutmeg sleeping next to him, curled into a ball under the cloak and felt the cheerful presence of the cloak in his mind as he always did.

"Kept him from roaming around?" Peter asked it, running a finger along the kitten's head.

The cloak gave him an amused affirmative.

"Do you mind watching him for another minute? I'll be right back."

Another affirmative, and Peter rolled out of his bed and sleepily headed for the bathroom, feeling just a bit of a headache and a little stuffiness behind his eyes – although it could just have been some of the remaining swelling from his black eye. He definitely needed some cold water in his face.

OOOOO

Wong was in the kitchen when Peter walked in with the kitten tucked into one arm and the cloak hanging over the other shoulder.

"Good morning."

"Hey."

The boy handed the kitten over to Wong, who smiled and put his face into its furry belly, blowing a raspberry that made Peter smile, but didn't amuse the kitten, too much. Then the sorcerer looked at the boy, and frowned.

"You look flushed. How do you feel?"

"I'm warm," he admitted. "But I didn't remember to turn on my air conditioner, so that's probably why."

"We can skip your lesson, this morning."

"No. No, I'm okay. _Really_."

He didn't want to have a setback now that he was beginning to figure it out.

"All right, then. Let's go."

Peter scooped up the pet taxi carrier to use to keep the kitten out of the way and they headed to the sparring room.

OOOOOO

Strange was in the kitchen when Peter and Wong returned. The doctor was reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee, and had clearly just woken up. He looked up when he saw them arrive and frowned, even though both of the newcomers were smiling.

"Good morning."

"Hey, Doctor Strange," Peter said, setting the pet carrier on the floor and reaching for the food dish and a can of the moist food.

"Come from a lesson?"

"Yeah."

Strange looked over at Wong.

"How'd he do?"

"His defense is getting pretty good. We'll work on offense more once we're at full speed."

"How do you feel, Peter?"

The doctor in him was telling him that something wasn't quite right with the boy, even though he didn't look terrible, or anything. Just a little off.

"Warm. But I've been working out, so that's probably why. I'm going to go take a shower once I feed Nutmeg."

"Is that what you're going to name him, then?"

Peter nodded, smiling.

"It's a good name, and _Pepper_ thought of it. It'll make her happy."

"How about _I_ feed Nutmeg, then, and _you_ go shower?" Strange offered. "Then come back down and we'll see how you feel, then."

"Okay. Thanks."

The boy left, but the cloak stayed. It didn't want anything to do with showering, and not much to do with Peter when his hair was wet.

"He was warm when he came down, earlier," Wong told Strange, filling the kibble in another bowl for the kitten to have a choice. "He mentioned that he forgot to turn on his air conditioner last night, but there was some sniffling going on during his lesson."

"Maybe he's coming down with something, then," Stephen said. "We'll keep an eye on him. He said he didn't have any plans for today. We'll keep him home and give him a chance to rest."

"Good. He needs to relax, anyway. He's always on the go."

"He's a teenager. That's what they do, I think."

Strange didn't really have much more experience than Wong did, after all.

OOOOOO

When Peter returned, he still looked a bit flushed, but he said he felt okay. Taking his temperature wouldn't help, Strange knew, so instead he watched as the boy ate breakfast with them to see how his appetite was faring. He picked at his meal, even though it was one of his favorites.

"You're going to hang out here, today?" Stephen asked.

"Yeah. I don't have any plans."

"That's a good idea." Now the doctor _did_ put his hand on the boy's forehead, and he did feel warm. But again, he was at the sanctum. "You might be coming down with something. The dunking that you took probably didn't help, and the Bifrost incident before the wedding could have been a trigger. Spend the day in bed, alright?"

"Yeah. I think I will." Or maybe bundled up on one of the couches in one of the libraries. They were pretty comfortable – and then he wouldn't feel isolated from the rest of the world in his room. "I was-"

He was interrupted by his phone, and his smile was automatic, Strange noticed. The kid could probably be hanging upside down over an open fire with cannibals drooling over him and still smile when Tony called. Pulling out his phone, he answered, looking at his watch at the same and probably doing the math to see what time it was there.

"Hey, guys."

Pepper and Tony were both in the call, Strange could see from his position close to the boy.

_"Hey, Peter,"_ Tony said. _"Good morning."_

"Good evening to you. Did you have a good day?"

Pepper held up her phone to the camera on Tony's, and Peter saw a little white and black blob that might have been a rock – and then he realized when it focused in that it was a baby zebra, sticking its head out from behind its mother's rear.

"Did you take that _today_?"

She smiled and moved her phone so they could look at him.

_"Yes. We've seen it a couple of times, but the adults are not big fans of giving it its 15 minutes of fame. It's the first chance we've had to get a photo."_

"He's cute."

"_You can't _have _him,"_ Tony told him, his expression filled with good humor and plenty of love.

"I don't _want_ him," Peter assured them both. "Besides, I have _Nutmeg_, now. Why do I need a baby horse that would make me cry every time I get near it?"

Pepper smiled, but Tony rolled his eyes.

_"Is that what you've decided to name it?"_

"Yeah. It's a good name. It's cute."

_"Sure. Cute like a near-death experience,_" Tony grumbled, making Pepper chuckle and turn her head to kiss his ear. _"What are you going to do today?"_

"Hang out here and take it easy. I'm ready for a down day, I think."

Stark's expression was suddenly a little tense, his gaze intent on the boy. It was like he had a 6th sense when it came to how Peter was feeling, Strange thought.

_"Are you feeling alright?"_

"Yeah. Just a little warm. It's nothing."

_"Stephen?"_

"We're keeping an eye on it, Tony," Strange replied. "Don't worry too much."

He didn't bother to tell him not to worry at all. _That_ was going to happen, no matter what.

_"Turn the air conditioner on in your room."_

"I will."

_"Do you need anything?"_

"Will you send me that picture of the baby zebra?"

"_Yes_." Peter's phone beeped, letting him know Pepper had already done so._ "Go back to bed, son,"_ Tony said. "_Get some sleep and a lot of fluids."_

"I will. I love you guys."

_"We love you, too."_

Pepper added her own agreement to that and the call ended.

"They look like they're having a good time," Wong said.

"Yeah."

Strange looked at him.

"Done eating?"

"Yes."

"Then go get some rest."

"I have to wait for Nutmeg to finish."

"We can take care of him, for now," the doctor said. "Go on."

"Okay."

He did as he was told, and went back to his room. He turned the AC on high and looked around. The kitten wasn't there, and the cloak wasn't there. Peter sat down on the bed to take his shoes off, and decided to change into sweats rather than lounge around in jeans. Then he pulled the Ironman doll from the shelf and went back to bed.

He didn't plan on actually _sleeping_, but he was asleep in minutes.


	37. Chapter 37

"You're _sure_ he's okay?"

Strange nodded. He and Natasha were standing at the foot of Peter's bed, watching him sleep. The doctor had an arm casually around her waist, and Peter had _his_ around his Ironman doll, which was tucked up against his chest. Despite the cold room – courtesy of the AC going on full – the boy's face was flushed.

"I've been keeping an eye on him all day. At first I thought he might be allergic to the kitten – even though we _know_ he had a cat when he was younger – but it's presenting as a cold. Nothing more."

"You talked to Tony and Pepper?"

"Several times." He made a wry face, which made her smile. "They've been taking turns checking in with me every half an hour, or so, asking for an update."

"What have you told them?"

"He's sleeping. We woke him up long enough to give him some soup for lunch and then he went back to sleep and here he is."

"This won't keep him from joining them in Wakanda, will it?"

"No. We caught it in plenty of time and we're more than capable of keeping it from getting worse. He'll be fine in a few days, really, knowing the way he recovers."

"As long as you can keep him in bed."

"That won't be a problem," Strange told her, with a smirk. "Since he's staying _here_, I'm not just the casual observer checking in on him randomly. I'll be able to monitor his mobility – or lack of it. Besides, if he gives me any real pushback on it, I'll have you come over and join him."

"If you need me to, let me know."

"I will." He let her go, and tucked the blankets up around Peter, since the boy kept trying to throw them off in his sleep. "You can let the others know that he's fine."

"Can they come visit?"

"We'll see how he feels tomorrow. I already have a visit lined up for him, this evening."

"Where's the kitten?"

Stephen rolled his eyes.

"Wong and the cloak are watching it."

"The cloak?"

"Apparently. I don't know if it's just because it knows Peter likes the little creature and that makes it want to keep it safe, or if _it_ actually likes the thing, but between the two of them, Peter might have trouble getting little Nutmeg back."

Which made her smile, again.

"Is that what he's going to call him?"

"Apparently. It's what Wong put on his tags_. If found, return to the Avengers for a 1million dollar reward_."

"He didn't put that."

"No. But he might as well, have."

"Do you need me to stay?"

"Only if you want to watch him sleep. Because that's all he's going to do today."

"What are _you_ going to do?"

"Watch him sleep."

"You crazy wizards…"

He smiled and kissed her.

"Go home, Natasha. Tell the Avengers not to worry about Peter. I'm keeping an eye on him."

"Thank you, Stephen."

OOOOOOO

Gentle fingers brushing his cheek pulled him from his sleep, and he opened his eyes, blinking, owlishly. Then he decided that maybe he was still sleeping, because he was sure he was hallucinating – or at least dreaming.

"Hey, son… wake up a little, will you?"

Peter frowned, confused.

"Tony?"

Stark smiled, not even hurt that he hadn't called him dad. He could see the confusion in his sleepy expression, and knew he wasn't completely there, just then. _Tony_ was the default, still. It would take a while for _dad_ to come out as naturally.

"Yeah. We're here."

Peter looked over Tony's shoulder and saw Pepper standing behind him, looking worried and holding the kitten.

"You came home?"

"_Only_ to check on you," he told him, settling on the edge of the boy's bed to give Pepper room to join them. "It's early morning, Wakandan time, so Stephen snuck us home for a little bit to visit."

"I'm okay."

"We know," Pepper told him, also touching his cheek. "But it makes us feel better, coming to see for ourselves."

"And we wanted to meet _Nutmeg_," Tony added, making Peter smile.

"He's adorable, sweetheart."

"Yeah," Peter told them, sitting up a little and noticing the Ironman doll, which he tucked behind his body and under the blankets, wondering if they'd noticed it and blushing a little. "But Nick says you can't trust a cat."

"Well, what does _he_ know?" Tony replied, taking the kitten from Pepper and sticking his face against the fuzzy creature's belly. "How do you feel?"

"A little warm."

"Sick to your stomach? Headache? Any of that?"

"No. Just tired and hot."

"Stephen says it's just a cold, and if you do what he says he'll have you up and around in a few days. Nothing to be worried about, okay?"

"You guys aren't coming home, though, right?"

"No. Just checking on our boy. Making sure you don't feel abandoned."

Peter leaned into Pepper, who made a soft noise and hugged him, close. He knew he was probably too clingy for his age, but he had been without a mom and dad for so long, it was new, still, and besides, he didn't feel good. Luckily, the parent thing was new for them, too, and they were willing to indulge him, as Tony proved when he joined the group hug, tucking Nutmeg carefully into the space by Peter's hip.

"I miss you guys."

"We miss you, too."

They parted after a long moment, and Peter smiled; he felt better, already.

"I won't ask you about Wakanda, since I'll see it soon, for myself, but what's the best thing, so far?"

"The people," Pepper replied. "They're a mix of tradition and modern, and friendly."

"The tech," was Tony's instant reply. "We're going to go nuts when you get there."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Yeah, well, get yourself better, then," Tony told him, handing him his kitten and pressing his cheek against the boy's as he got to his feet. "Do what Stephen tells you, and call us if you need anything."

"Or I could ask _him_, since he'd be in the same room…"

And could produce it with a thought.

"Smartass."

Tony stepped back, and Pepper hugged him, too, before getting up.

"We saw your Vibranium mine…"

"Really? He knows it's not _really_ a thing, right? The betting on the chess games…"

"Shuri wants an Avenger birthday party, so it _might_ be a thing, after all," Tony said. "I could use some Vibranium," he added. "Maybe make myself a cool polymorph, or something. Why don't you bring a pick and a donkey when you come, and we'll see how much we can find?"

Peter smiled.

"I'll see if Clint minds putting it on the jet."

"Good." His expression softened. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." He was, now, anyway. "I love you guys. Thanks for coming."

"That's our job," Tony reminded him.

"And we love you, too," Pepper added. "Be good."

They walked out of his room, leaving him with a slight smile on his face, absently cuddling with Nutmeg. Strange walked into his room a few minutes later, watching him, intently as he moved over beside the bed and checked Peter's forehead.

"Well, you _look_ better."

"I _feel_ better." Peter assured him. "Thank you for bringing them."

"It was easier than trying to convince them that you were sleeping, peacefully," he said with an amused shrug. "I'm going to bring you some dinner, and then I want you to go back to sleep, alright? We'll see if we can get you better in record time."

"Okay. Thanks."

"You're welcome." He smiled, then, and ruffled the boy's hair, affectionately. "No lesson with Wong in the morning, but he said he'd stop in and see you."

Probably just wanted to see Nutmeg, but that was beside the point.


	38. Chapter 38

"How is he doing?"

Stephen looked up from the book he was reading at the soft question and saw Wong standing in the doorway to Peter's room, leaning against it with Nutmeg tucked into one arm. The Cloak of Levitation was hovering beside Wong, watching as well. He looked at the boy sleeping in the bed, and closed the book with an almost inaudible snap and brushed a gentle hand against Peter's forehead, careful not to wake him.

"He's sleeping comfortably," Strange replied, getting up and stretching before walking over to the door and brushing his fingers along the top of the kitten's head, smiling at the almost instant purr of approval. "He's still fevered, but it isn't getting any _worse_."

Those were his two biggest concerns, just then. If Peter's sleep was troubled with bad dreams or night terrors, they'd have to worry about sleepwalking – or the teleportation rock making an appearance as the boy's subconscious mind tried to find an escape. One of the reasons that Strange had magicked himself a chair and was monitoring Peter so carefully while he slept. _One_ of the reasons, but not the only one, of course.

The other concern was, of course, the fever. If it spiked, it could set off the nightmares, or could cause serious problems, and perhaps be an indicator that the doctor had been wrong, and it _wasn't_ a simple cold, after all. Thus far, however, it was looking like he'd been spot on. Which was a relief.

"You're going to stay with him, tonight?"

"Yes. Just to make sure."

And because Peter was _his_ responsibility, just then.

"Have you spoken with Tony and Pepper?"

"Yes. They're fine."

"Well, I'm going to go to bed. I'll keep the kitten – so he isn't in the way. Call if you – or _he_ – needs anything."

"I will. Goodnight."

The cloak remained with Strange when Wong left, and settled on the magician's shoulder while he walked back to his chair and reclaimed it. It wasn't allowed to cuddle up to Peter, just then, in order to allow Strange a control on the fever Peter was dealing with. Once he was sure what he was dealing with, then it could resume its preferred position. Until then, it was a bystander, like the rest of them.

When Tony and Pepper had left, Strange had given Peter a light dinner. More soup, and some crackers. Then he'd sat with the boy and kept him company, talking about unimportant things, for the most part, until he'd fallen asleep once more. The dinner tray had vanished, along with the remains of the meal, and the doctor had tucked the blankets around the boy, warmly, smiling tenderly when he found the Ironman doll tangled in the bedding where Peter had hidden it. He settled it beside Peter and drew the blankets up over them both before finding his chair once more and summoning a book to keep himself occupied.

He sighed, stretching once more before reaching for the book again. A chair wasn't the most comfortable thing to spend the night in, but it wouldn't be the first time by any means, and he wanted to be right where he was, for the time being. Besides, he was sure Tony or Pepper would call him to see how Peter was doing – _again_ – and he'd be able to honestly say that he was right there beside him and he was sleeping.

With another glance at the boy, he opened his book and went back to what he was reading.

OOOOOO

Sunshine was filtering into the room through the gossamer curtains that protected the window in Peter's room when they boy woke. He did so slowly, opening his eyes and stretching a little and then looking around to get his bearings.

"Good morning," Stephen told him, watching him from a chair beside his bed.

The cloak was also there, seeming to be watching him, as well, from its spot on the sorcerer's shoulder.

"Hey."

"How are you feeling?"

The question was asked as the doctor reached out and brushed his palm against Peter's forehead.

"Tired. Hot."

"So, basically like you're _sick_?"

The boy smiled, wryly.

"Yeah." He needed to get up, though. His bladder didn't care that he wasn't feeling well, after all. "I need up for a minute, though."

Strange nodded.

"Don't take too long, alright? I don't want to worry that you collapsed or something on the way."

Peter nodded and got himself out of the bed while Strange watched, looking for any sign of unusual weakness or dizziness. The boy did fine, though; he was a little unsteady for the first couple of steps, but then left his room with sure footsteps.

"Go keep an eye on him for me," he told the cloak, which didn't hesitate to do just that.

While they were gone, Strange picked up the boy's doll off the bed and then with a thought the bedding was gone, then replaced by fresh ones. It was a lot easier than having to do it by hand, and much quicker, and with the fever the boy was running, he didn't want him sleeping in sweat-damp sheets. A single comforter was all that was needed, even though the room was chilly, and he got up to turn the blanket down and then put the doll on the pillow to allow Peter to decide if he cuddled with the thing or not.

When the boy returned – the cloak hovering, protectively beside him – he smiled and picked up the doll as he got back into bed.

"I'm a little old for it, I know…"

"The toddler makes his presence known, sometimes?" Strange asked, fairly certain that was the case.

The little guy was _Peter_, after all, and a part of him. He had lost most of the side-effects of the whole ordeal, but Natasha had told him that on rare occasions she was certain she could see the little guy in something Peter was doing, or would say. Usually when the teen was tired, or distracted, and wasn't as able to maintain his own dominance over those actions.

"Yeah. _Sometimes_," Peter admitted. "But I haven't groped anyone in a while, so that's a start."

Stephen smiled, amused, and glad that Peter wasn't frustrated by his small setbacks.

"I'm sure MJ appreciates that."

Peter blushed, hotly – as Strange had known he would – and got more comfortable in his bed, correctly assuming that the doctor wasn't going to let him out of it that day.

"Her parents, too, I suppose."

"Are you up for some breakfast?"

Which would be a test to see how the boy's appetite was, and if he was feeling any nausea. Again, any way to make sure it was just a cold, and nothing more serious.

"Sure. Oatmeal?"

A tray appeared, with the requested cereal and a plate with some sausages and toast, as well. Along with another glass of the liquid Wong made for Peter to combat any dehydration. They'd been plying the boy with it since the fever had begun – probably the main reason his bladder had been so insistent.

"Eat, and then get some sleep, alright?"

"Where's Nutmeg?"

"Wong has him, to keep him out of the way."

The boy smiled, bringing the tray over his lap to make it easier to eat without spilling all over himself.

"Am I going to have to battle him for custody when I'm healthier?"

Strange was amused.

"Normally I'd say you're safe, but he's an endearing little fellow, so you never know."

"I'd let him have him – if he wanted him that much."

Which made the magician smile, because he knew that Peter would. He was a good guy like that, and selfless – most of the time. Which was one of the reasons that Strange liked him. He shook his head, though.

"Cat's – and kittens – are notorious for the fact that they like knocking things off shelves. We have a _lot_ of things on shelves, here, in case you've forgotten. The idea of a sanctum kitten is all well and good, but Wong and I would be run ragged every day picking ancient relics off the floor behind him. Not to mention that some of them might not appreciate the abuse, and could retaliate and possibly hurt him."

"I didn't think of that."

"Look it up on YouTube," Strange suggested. "It's pretty amusing, really. And it'll give you something to do if you can't sleep."

"I will." He hesitated. "You've talked to Tony and Pepper?"

"I'm going to give them a call while you're eating," he said, getting up. "And then I expect that they'll call you, to make sure you're being well taken care of and feeling better. You're staying in bed, today – and tomorrow. I'll tell them that, and you can, too, and then we'll see how you're doing."

"Thanks," Peter told him, sincerely, feeling lucky to have such good people around him.

"You're welcome. Need anything?"

"No. I have everything I need."

And then some.


	39. Chapter 39

Strange kept Peter in bed for three days, just like he said he would.

It wasn't quite as bad as Peter thought it would be. The first two days went by quickly – for _him_, at least – because he spent most of that time sleeping. Whenever he woke, there was always someone sitting in the chair beside his bed, keeping him company, ready to ask how he felt, or if he needed anything, or to reassure him that everything was fine when he inevitably asked.

Mostly, it was Doctor Strange, of course. He was a _doctor_, after all, and he was responsible for the boy. But he couldn't be there all the time, and when others wanted to sit with Peter, he would allow it. Mostly because he knew that _they_ cared about him, too, and wanted to make sure that he was getting better, but also because it was an opportunity to get other things done that needed to be completed.

The first couple of days of his illness, Peter would manage to open his eyes and share a brief conversation, answering whatever questions were asked of him, or eating whatever meal was put in front of him before going back to sleep. Always he would ask about Pepper and Tony, but whenever they called, he would be asleep, so he didn't have a chance to talk to them. Messages from them were always passed along from those who did, though, and Peter knew they were still enjoying their honeymoon, but definitely missed him.

The third day he was a little more coherent. When he opened his eyes sometime after lunch but before dinner, though, he thought he must be hallucinating, or something, because it was Nick Fury seated in the chair, feet up on the edge of Peter's bed and Nutmeg sleeping on his chest. The former director of SHIELD smiled when he saw the boy was awake.

"Hey."

"Hey, Nick. What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

"Of course, it is," Fury assured him. "If it _wasn't_, then I wouldn't be _here_, now would I, Peter? I'd be out fixing it."

"Oh. Yeah."

"I'm just keeping an eye on you for a while, since everyone else has already had a chance to. I get a chance to check on _you_, and I get to come look this place over, too. Win, win, all around, am I right?"

"Yeah."

He knew Fury hadn't been to the sanctum, before.

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay. Not as hot as I was, maybe?"

"That's good to hear. I'll make sure to let Tony know when he checks in, next."

"You've talked to him?"

"Of course." Fury shrugged. "He told me to tell you hello, if you woke while I was here. So, hello."

"Thanks."

"Since you're awake, and I'm holding your cat, let me ask you a question…"

"Sure."

"If your buddy here wasn't _really_ a cat… but was something else that just _looked_ like a cat… would those spider senses of yours tell you?"

"What?"

"Would you know if Nutmeg here wasn't really a kitten?"

"Yeah. I think so." He frowned. "What do _you_ think he is?"

Fury shrugged, looking nonchalant. Well, as nonchalant as he could, anyway.

"I think he's a _kitten_. What else could he be?"

Peter was confused, and it showed. Of course, he'd been sleeping a lot and wasn't that alert, so that could be part of the confusion, as well.

"Yeah…"

"Is there anything you need?" Nick asked him, kindly.

The boy shook his head.

"I think I'm good."

But he was asleep again in only a few minutes, and when he woke next, Fury was gone, replaced by Steve Rogers.

OOOOOO

The fourth day, he was allowed out of bed, but Strange wasn't quite ready to release him to his own devices, even though his fever was back down to just a little higher than average. He let Peter up, but he didn't allow him to do anything more demanding than go as far as a sofa in one of the libraries, where he was bundled in a blanket and found himself napping instead of doing a stick fighting workout with Wong as he'd initially planned.

"He's okay?" Natasha asked, watching as the cloak settled itself around the boy, humming cheerfully into the boy's mind now that it was allowed to be with him, again.

Strange nodded.

"Yes. He's still a little wobbly on his feet, but he's been in bed a while. A lesson with Wong tomorrow will straighten that out."

"He's ready for that?" she asked, concerned, even though she knew that Stephen was being fairly cautious with Peter's illness. Something that she approved of, and knew Tony and Pepper would, as well. "We're not pushing him into it too quickly?"

"No. He probably could have handled a lesson this evening, but I'd rather we give him a little more time to rest – and a solid meal under his belt. Just to make sure."

"Where's Nutmeg?"

"Wong's feeding him."

"How are you getting cat hair off the cloak?"

"We _aren't_," Strange said with a smile. "It deflects that kind of thing. It never gets dusty, or dirty – in the usual course of a day's activities. Being thrown up on, or attacked by a bear are extremes that aren't included."

"That's convenient."

He smiled.

"Yes. Are you going to sit with him?"

"Do you mind?"

"You mean, instead of spending quality time with _me_?"

She smiled at that, knowing he wasn't too worried about missing out on any of _their_ time.

"Exactly."

"I think it's a good idea. If he sleeps through the night, I'll announce him officially recovered in the morning when Tony and Pepper call."

"And let him go out with MJ again before he leaves for Wakanda?"

"As long as they don't get rained on. He'd still be susceptible to something like that."

She squeezed his hand, and he winked, letting her go and watching as she walked over to the sofa, waited for the cloak to move itself out of the way to avoid being sat on, and then cuddled up with the boy, who was more than willing to use her as a pillow if she had the time.

The cloak repositioned itself to cover them both, and Natasha rested her chin on the top of Peter's head, murmuring something to the boy that made him smile, although Stephen was too far away to hear what it was that she'd said.

He watched them for a moment, indulging himself, for a change, and then left them to their cuddling and went to start dinner.

OOOOOO

"_You're feeling better?"_

Peter nodded, even though it wasn't a video call with MJ, so she didn't see it.

"Yeah. I just had dinner and now we're all going to play Scrabble. Then I will probably be sent back to bed – just to be sure I get another good night's sleep before Doctor Strange turns me loose on the world, again."

MJ laughed, which made Peter smile.

"_Can you do something, tomorrow?"_

Peter felt a thrill of excited pleasure go through him at the thought that she wanted to spend time with him – despite them getting rained on their first official 'date'.

"Sure. Anything in mind?"

"_Want to go to the science museum? I heard they have a new interactive display. It's a little corny, but it might be fun."_

"Yeah. Sounds good. I'll double check with Doctor Strange and call you before bed. Okay?"

"_Want me to come get you? My mom would drive us there, she said."_

"That'd be great. I'm going to the compound to visit tomorrow evening, but we could probably hang out as late as we want. If your mom didn't want to come get us when we're done, Doctor Strange might be willing. Or I could see if _Steve_ will. He's going to be in the city tomorrow, anyway, and is going to be taking me to the compound."

"_See if Steve will get us,"_ she said, instantly, not surprising Peter at all. He wasn't jealous of the fact that MJ had a thing for Steve. No more than MJ was about Peter and Natasha – or the flirting that he did with Shuri when Tony or T'Challa were around. Probably because their relationship was too new to have any of that possessiveness, yet. Although it _had_ bubbled up a little when MJ watched Natasha kiss Peter before they drove to Syracuse. _"Let me know, and I'll tell my mom."_

"Okay. I'll talk to you later, then."

"Yeah."

He ended the call, and went to find Strange.


	40. Chapter 40

The science museum had once been one of Peter's favorite places. It was filled with interesting tech, with experiments on display and the history behind many of the machines that filled the world the boy lived in and were so common _now_, even though some of the inventions hadn't actually been around all that long.

Now, of course, he had the compound, which was filled with Avenger's tech. He had access to Tony Stark, who was a brilliant engineer and developer and had created his own brand of tech that was like nothing on display at the museum. Not only access to Tony, but access to his tech, so freely shared him.

Then, too, there was the _sanctum_. Magic was different than technology, he supposed, but it was easily as interesting to Peter, and Wong and Dr. Strange were both very open about allowing him to see what it could do. Literally, he had magic (in the form of the Cloak of Levitation) draped over him the moment he stepped into the place.

So the place where he'd hung out with Ned as much as they could when they were kids no longer held the same awe that it once did, but it was still a fun place to be. And he was in good company, thanking MJ's mother when she dropped them off and promising her that Steve would be by to get them and that they would drop her off at home by five. Peter paid admission for both of them and they went inside, thanking the security guard who held the door for them.

They held hands, occasionally as they wandered through the various exhibits. Since the place was geared toward young people and children, nearly everything had some sort of hands on interactive, and they spent the day dodging little kids who were running around, screaming and yelling and having a good time wile goofing off a little with some of the displays.

They created their own kaleidoscopes – which they were invited to take home with them – they made complicated Robe Goldberg machines and watched to see how they turned out. Then, they learned how ancient cultures created their own pottery and were allowed to create their own little bowl or plate (Peter made a plate, while MJ used a pottery wheel to make a small cup) to take home. They painted them, etched little designs into the soft clay and then handed them over to be baked in a kiln while they went and had lunch in the museum's food court.

"You look like you're feeling better," MJ told him, sitting down with Peter after she bought them a huge tray of tacos and chips to share.

"Yeah. I am."

"Have you talked to Tony and Pepper?"

"This _morning_," he replied, handing her a cola. "They always freak out a little when I'm not feeling good, and since they're not _here_, I guess they've been calling everyone else to have them check on me and keep them updated."

"Probably because they're so new to being mom and dad," she suggested – proving to Peter, once more, that she wasn't dumb and was observant when it came to the people around her. "They'll probably start relaxing about the time you're ready to go to college. Probably shouldn't pick something too far away, though."

Peter smiled at that.

"It goes both ways," he admitted. "For the longest time it was just me and May. Now I have someone to call mom and dad. The novelty isn't going to go away any time, soon."

Her smile was tender; either because she liked the fact that he was willing to share how he was feeling, or just the topic itself.

"I imagine it must be weird. And _amazing_."

"Yeah." He shrugged. "Just as amazing as the fact that Captain America is going to be picking us up when we're done, here."

That made her smile broaden, and she blushed a little.

"Never a dull moment, huh?"

"True."

The conversation switched over to other things. She wanted to see any new pictures he had of Nutmeg, and he had several. Then they discussed what other things she had been doing during summer break and what she had planned – she already knew _he_ was going to Wakanda, after all, and that whatever else he had planned was going to be done most likely at the Avenger compound.

"When you get back from Wakanda, you can tell me all about it," she told him. "Maybe we can try the walk in the park thing, again."

He blushed, pleased at the idea, and nodded his agreement.

"Yeah. That'd be fine."

"You leave on Friday?"

"Right. Natasha, Steve and Clint are taking me in the Quinjet."

"It must be exciting."

"Yeah. A little."

He was excited to see Wakanda, of course, and to see Shuri and T'Challa. He was really looking forward to seeing Tony and Pepper, though, really.

"How are the spear fighting lessons going? You didn't get to do any of that while you were sick, right?"

"I had a lesson this morning," he told her, munching on a taco. "But it was pretty light – since Wong didn't want to put too much pressure on me the first time since I got sick."

They finished their lunch and went back to collect their now fired pottery, which wasn't all that exciting, but it was about as unique as something could be. MJ gave hers to Peter and he reciprocated and gave the little plate he'd made to her. They had another hour or so to kill before Steve was scheduled to come get them so they went to the IMAX theater and watched a documentary about the differences between Edison and Tesla. Peter had to admit as they were heading out of the museum to the corner to meet Steve that there probably weren't a lot of girls that would have been willing to sit with him through it, so he was a pretty lucky guy.

He already knew that, though.

OOOOO

"She seemed to have had a good time," Steve told Peter as they drove out of the city after dropping MJ off at home.

"She said that she did."

Rogers smiled at the blush that was almost automatic.

"Are you going to see her again before we leave for Wakanda?"

"No. She's going to her sister's with her parents. Ned's at the farm, so you guys are stuck with me for the rest of the week."

Which made Steve smile, because none of them thought of it like that.

"Good. It'll give us a chance to spend some time with you and Nutmeg. You're going back to the sanctum, tonight, though, right?"

"Yes. Dinner with you guys, games and whatever you want, then doctor Strange will come get me to take me back to the sanctum."

He didn't absolutely need the sorcerer to come get him; he had the teleporting stone, after all, and it allowed him instant access to wherever he needed to be. But Strange had mentioned that he wanted to visit Natasha, so it wasn't an inconvenience for him to bring Peter back with him when he returned.

"Good." Steve looked genuinely pleased to have some time with Peter – and he was. They'd all spent time with him when he'd been sick, but he was far more interesting when he was healthy. "Clint, Bruce and I are going to teach you how to play Canasta."

"What's that?" he asked, even as the image of a deck of cards came to mind.

"It's a card game," Steve explained, turning the car onto the highway now that they were out of the city. "But a _team_ game, and you'll be my partner. We'll see if my skill can overcome your phenomenal bad luck with all things cards."

Peter shook his head, amused.

"Good luck with that."

Steve just chuckled. He didn't care if they lost.

OOOOOO

"Did you have a good time?" Wong asked, much later that evening as he, Strange and Peter all sat in the kitchen at the island.

The two men were drinking coffee, while Peter was eating a piece of cake, washing it down with a glass of milk.

"Yeah. I won at a _card_ game."

Strange smiled; he'd already heard the shocking story when he and Natasha had made an appearance in the lounge shortly before he and Peter were scheduled to return to the sanctum that evening. Steve had been smug, Clint and Bruce were surprised and making jokes about double-checking the deck of cards to make sure it wasn't marked, or something. Peter had been just as surprised, but as bad as his track record was for card games, he knew better than to brag about it.

He'd take the win and be happy.

"Something to tell Tony and Pepper when they call."

"Yeah."

He was looking forward to it.

OOOOOOO

A hesitant hand shaking his shoulder woke him. Strange frowned, the light in his room turning on with a thought, revealing Peter standing at the side of his bed, holding Nutmeg and dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, despite the fact that Stephen knew he'd changed into sweats when he'd gone to bed a couple of hours before. He sat up, immediately concerned.

"Peter? Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I mean… I _think_ so. But I need to go out."

In his defense, Strange was still somewhat asleep and had never had it happen to him before.

"Out where?"

"_Out_," Peter repeated. "To go check on something – in my old neighborhood."

"Oh. _Oh_." The doctor frowned, again, looking intently at the boy. "Is everything alright?"

"No. Something's digging at me."

"What is it?" Strange asked, curiously.

"I don't know, yet."

Which was why he needed to go out.

He nodded, rubbing his face, suddenly worried.

"Alright. Do you need me to go with you?"

"No. Thanks, though."

"But you'll call me if it's something serious?" he asked. "You know. Something bigger than what you can handle? I can be there in an instant."

"Yeah. I know. I'll see what comes up. I can go?"

Since he'd already obtained permission from Tony to do just that, Stephen didn't really have a choice but to say yes. So, he did.

"Of course. But call me, immediately, if you need help."

"I will. Will you watch Nutmeg for me?"

He handed the kitten over to the startled doctor, and a moment later, he vanished. Strange realized that he must have had the teleportation stone in his hand when he'd entered his bedroom. The doctor got out of bed and headed for the kitchen, kitten tucked into his arm. If he was going to stay up worrying about the boy all night, then he was going to need a cup of coffee.

And the kitten would need someone to keep him out of trouble, obviously.


	41. Chapter 41

Normally what Peter did when he felt those inner urging that found him in the safe house putting on his suit, was to find a tall building that seemed to be close to the area his spider senses told him was the problem spot and watch the city around him until whatever needed him presented itself to him. He almost unerringly would feel the next urge at just the right time and would be able to go meet the problem head on – or sideways, or from underneath – depending on what it was. And where.

This time, he barely had time to change before those senses of his were urging him along the waterfront – which wasn't a common area for him to patrol, really. He was more of a friendly _neighborhood_ Spiderman, really, not a commercial or industry area sort, but he went, because if he _didn't_, and something happened, it would be his fault. And, because those senses of his would keep driving him crazy all night if he tried to ignore them.

He heard the police chase even before he saw it. Sirens in the distance were not uncommon, of course. Due to all the traffic in the city, car chases – between the police and actual drivers – was a bit more unheard of. No sense trying to escape by car and finding yourself coming around the corner and hitting rush hour traffic, after all. It was a bit more of a nighttime thing, but even then the chance of heavy traffic loomed large.

Along the waterfront, though, the traffic was lighter, just then, and as Peter swung himself to get a better idea of what he was needed for, he saw a couple of police cruisers trying to pull over a large cement mixer truck, which was roaring down the road at a ridiculously dangerous speed, sideswiping the few cars that were parked alongside the street and not slowing from any of the impacts.

The boy thought maybe that he was supposed to help stop the truck. Sure, it was going fast and weighed many, many times more than he did, but it wouldn't have been _that_ tricky. A jet of webbing across the road to tangle it up in, or some webbing on the windshield to force the driver to stop since they wouldn't be able to see. He wasn't quite in the right position, yet, for that – still a couple of blocks away – but he was already looking at his options.

The he saw the _car_. It was an old muscle car. Gleaming in the faint and erratic lights of some of the docks, it was black and sleek and beautiful. A convertible with two people in it, although he was too far away, still, to see much more than that. He _did_ wonder why they were driving without headlights on, but that was a concern for a different time. Peter – for _obvious_ reasons – had an affinity for old cars, and he found that his senses were gearing him that direction. The cement truck was coming from the south and the car was a block or two north, not even on the same road, but the boy suddenly knew deep down that one of the two was going to make a turn that would put them on the same path, somehow.

Then he suddenly even knew _which_ road.

Swinging away from the cement truck chase, and toward the car's course, he had a bit more trouble because the warehouses on the docks around the water were more spread out, so he found himself using cranes and even some taller street lights to follow his inner guide along the dock road, and turned a corner just in time to see the car come around the same corner at the same moment that the cement truck was barreling down the wrong side of the already narrow road.

The old muscle car swerved, the brake lights telling Peter that they tried to stop, but it was far too late. The cement truck recovered from its skid and sped on and the police cruiser sped after it, probably not even noticing the car in the dark. Especially without headlights. The muscle car ended up careening sideways into a large stack of wooden pallets, and then ricocheting and plummeting off the dock and into the water, somersaulting as the heavier engine brought the front down and the lighter back end up, hitting the water upside down with its passengers under it.

"Karen! Notify first responders!" Peter ordered, coming to a landing on the dock and immediately shooting a web at the car's undercarriage, catching it, easily and then yanking back as hard as he carefully could, flipping it upside right, slowly, as the water fought back, trying to keep hold of its prize.

"_On it."_

The car came upright, still in the water, and the passenger still buckled into her seat, frantically trying to get free and obviously terrified and soaked. Peter shot another jet of webbing and caught hold of her, then tagged the other end up that line to the dock – along with the end of the webbing that had the car. Now, neither could sink – at least until the webbing dissolved.

"Get out!" Peter shouted, his AI amplifying his voice so she could hear and hopefully do what he was telling her – but he had another concern.

The driver.

"Karen? Where is he?"

Scanners in his suit – nothing as insanely cool as the ones in the Ironman suit, but more than up to the task – were scouring the water, and it was only an instant before his AI found what he was looking for. Further out and struggling, a lone figure was just under the surface of the water. Too deep for Peter to catch him with his webbing, and not moving.

Peter didn't hesitate. With a less than graceful dive - more of a belly flop, really - he went into the water, torpedoing his body to try and land as close as he could, and then swam out into the dark water, relying on the sensors to tell him where to go since he couldn't see anything in between the dark water and the dark night. Sooner than he thought possible, he was there, and he dove and grabbed the man, who was large and heavy, his expensive suit dragging him deeper, while Peter's powerful strokes of the one arm that he had free fought that and brought them both back up to the surface.

The still form he had hold of gasped, suddenly, startling Peter, and the man started to struggle, splashing around and fighting the boy who was soon finding that they were both being dragged under, since he couldn't hold them both.

"Easy!" Peter yelled, trying to calm him. "I've got-"

"Who are you? _What_? Let _go_ of-"

Each word was punctuated with wracking coughs, as if half the harbor was in his lungs, but he was a powerfully built man and Peter was trying to hold him one-handed to free the other to start swimming back toward the dock – although it wasn't the same dock they'd both gone off. The man was clearly panicked beyond reasoning, and if he _did_ know how to swim, he was either too afraid or too injured to do it.

"Stop!" Peter shouted, thinking crazily that maybe a life preserver function in the suit might not be a bad idea. He'd already been hit by the man's elbow, twice, now. Ringing blows that didn't necessarily _hurt_, but they weren't much fun, either. "I've got you, mister! Just hold on!"

He must have heard something, because he was suddenly doing the opposite of fighting Peter's grip. Now he was clutching his slim body with both hands, gasping and coughing and wrapping one arm around the boy's neck in what could only be called a death-grip. Luckily, the suit was sturdy enough to keep it from choking Peter, but it made swimming a _lot_ harder.

"I can't _swim_!" he shouted in Peter's ear.

"It's okay, I _can_…"

Peter was trying to calm him, but he was completely out of breath by the time they got close enough to the underside of the dock that he dared reach out with the swimming hand and shoot a jet of webbing, catching the topside and allowing Peter a chance to stop for a breath.

"What are-" the man seemed to realize that they weren't sinking, and _maybe_ realized that Peter wasn't an amazing swimmer, himself. Or maybe he just got over his fear much quicker than Peter would have been able to, because he suddenly stilled, and his tight grip on the boy loosened just a touch. "Who are you?"

"Oh. I'm Spiderman," Peter told him, diffidently. "Hold still a minute, okay?"

He was just relieved that he wasn't forced to shout. He didn't have the breath for it.

"Yeah."

There were police sirens in the distance, now, Peter could hear them getting close. He released his grip on the man with his other hand and shot another webbing from that wrist.

"Can you hold on if I pull us out?" Peter asked.

"How are you going-? _Yeah_. Do whatever you need to do…"

He felt the grip on him tighten, but it was controlled, now, and not panicked, and with a heave, Peter jerked both arms, hard, using that momentum to fling them both out of the water, and into an arch that brought them up and over the edge of the dock. The man's weight brought them tumbling to the wooden surface, and they both lay still for a moment, gasping for breath.

Being young and in phenomenal shape, Peter recovered, first, and sat up, looking at the man, who was maybe Tony's age, but bigger, with a pencil thin mustache and dark hair and eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, kid. Thanks."

He didn't get up, though.

"I gotta go," Peter told him, standing. "I'll send someone over here to make sure you're okay."

The man closed his eyes, waving away the need.

"I just need to catch my breath. What's your name, kid?"

"I'm Spider-"

"Your _real_ name," the man interrupted. "I can't reward _Spiderman_ for saving me, now can I?"

He coughed a few times, holding his side.

"I don't _need_ a reward," Peter assured him. "Happy to help. Have a good night."

With that, he left, reminding Karen to send someone to this dock as well, not wanting to leave the man unattended, even though he seems to be alright.

"_He's stable,"_ Karen reported as Peter found a couple of higher structures to web to, and then swung himself up onto a rooftop to stop and catch is breath_. "A few contusions from the impact with the water, broken finger. Nothing life-threatening."_

"Thanks."

Peter, himself, felt a little worse for wear from the battering he'd taken from the guy while pulling him through the water, but he was all in all, pretty pleased with the rescue. Not something he would have been able to do a year ago, but he could, now that Clint had taught him to swim.

He closed his eyes, and felt the teleport stone suddenly appear in his hand.

_Where?_

The boy smiled at the cheerful question and visualized the living room of the safe house apartment. A moment later he was standing there. Ten minutes after _that_, he was stripped out of the suit and had taken a quick shower to warm himself a little. Then he hung the suit and hid it once more behind the panel, changed into dry clothes and was back in his room in the sanctum.

He set the rock on the stand by his bed, next to the Ironman doll, and went to check in with Doctor Strange to let him know he was home safe.


	42. Chapter 42

"Did you know this was going to happen when you left, earlier?" Strange asked, curiously.

"Not even _close_," Peter admitted.

They were sitting in the kitchen where Peter had found the magician, waiting for him, when he'd gone looking for him. The doctor hadn't missed the boy's wet hair and a red mark on his cheek that hadn't been there that evening. He made Peter a cup of hot chocolate and had listened to his description of what he'd done, fascinated and very impressed.

"I know that Ned was showing video of the time when you stopped the woman from being mugged," Stephen said. "Is _this_ something that was recorded, too? Or does the fact that it was in water affect the technology?"

"No, it shouldn't." Peter had to shake his head, though, because at the sanctum he didn't have any interface with Karen like he had when he was home – or in his suit. "I imagine Karen's got a recording. I just don't have any way to ask her for a download, here. She's in my room at the sanctum, and in my suit."

Strange looked at his watch.

"It's noon in Wakanda. Could we see if Tony's doing anything that can't be interrupted? I'd really like to see what you were doing."

Peter smiled, always willing to call Tony – of course. And he was still riding a bit of a high about the water rescue, really. He'd save a few people by now, but this one had been really exciting because he _knew_ he had probably really saved the man – and most likely the woman in the car, too – _and_ had done it with his newly acquired swimming skills.

"I'll call him," Peter offered. "If he gets a call from you at two in the morning, he's going to assume I'm hurt, or something."

"You have a new mark on your face. From the man you were trying to help?"

"Yeah. I think he hit me a few times – not on purpose, or anything."

"Right."

Peter pulled his cell and hit the video call icon. He didn't want to just _hear_ Tony, if he could avoid it. He wanted to _see_ him. Not surprisingly, the call was answered, immediately, and Tony's face popped up on his 3D screen – and his expression was worried.

"_Peter? What's wrong?"_

_Tony_ could tell time, too, and obviously knew what time it was back home.

The boy smiled, shaking his head.

"Nothing. We're fine. How are you guys doing?"

"_Why are you up so late? Where's _Stephen_?"_

The doctor put his head into the camera's range, seeing his visage pop up on the display Tony could view.

"I'm right here, Tony. Everything's fine. Your son just saved someone's life, tonight, and we'd like to view the video. Can you make that happen?"

"_What?"_ he frowned. "_You went out, tonight?"_

"Yeah. I just got back."

Peter gave him a brief replay of what happened, and assured him that he was fine – obviously.

"_You're okay?"_ Tony asked for the millionth time.

"I'm fine, dad," Peter told him. "But Dr. Strange and I want to see the video and Karen isn't integrated into the sanctum. Can you have Friday get it from her, download it and then send it to my phone?"

"_Yeah. I can do that."_ Stark's AI was everywhere he was, so it wasn't an issue. _"Hold on."_

He turned his head to talk into his watch, and Peter looked for, but didn't see Pepper anywhere.

"Where's Pepper?"

"_Off with some of T'Challa's guards watching some kind of secret ceremony."_

"Why didn't _you_ go?" Strange asked.

"_Women only."_

"Oh."

"That doesn't seem fair," Peter said.

He hated the idea of being left out of something.

"_I'll survive,"_ Tony assured him, smiling. _"Besides, now I will have a chance to watch this video, too. I'm going to send it to you, and to _Natasha_."_

She'd want to see it, too, so it would save them all the trouble of sending it later.

"Okay."

A moment later his phone beeped, advising him of a download waiting.

"_Got it?"_

"Yeah."

"_Need anything?"_

"No."

"_You're not _hurt_? He's not _hurt_, Stephen?"_

"He has a new bruise," Strange conceded. "Or it will be. Nothing more."

"_Good."_

"I love you," Peter said.

Tony's expression softened, as it only did when he was looking at Peter, or Pepper.

"_I love you, too. Don't stay up too late and tell Nutmeg I said hello."_

The call ended, and Peter looked at the kitten that was sleeping in a blanket-lined basket where Strange had put him when he'd reached the kitchen much earlier.

"I guess that could wait until later."

"Yes." The magician waved his hand, impatiently. "Download your video."

"Yeah."

OOOOOOO

"Wow."

"That's one word for it… He _could_ have killed you in his panic."

Strange had magicked up a larger display screen for them to play the video on, and once Peter had downloaded it, the two of them had watched it all the way through several times. The magician quailed at the danger that the boy had been in, trying to save someone who was clearly much larger than he was and had come perilously close to dragging him under, more than once. He had to admit, though, that he was impressed and extremely proud of the way Peter had handled himself.

"It looks a lot scarier on video than it did when it was happening," Peter assured him, sticking up, automatically, for the stranger. "I'm stronger than he was. He was just afraid and didn't know what he was doing."

"Yes, I can see that." His gaze was intense as he watched the scene after the rescue, when Peter and the man he'd rescued had their brief conversation. "I wonder why he looks familiar."

"I don't know," Peter told him, shrugging. "I didn't ask him his name."

"He wanted _yours_, though."

"Yeah. The scary thing is; I _almost_ told him. Sometimes it's a habit. When someone asks your name – to tell them, I mean."

"Yes, I can understand that. Do they _always_ want to reward you?"

"I don't usually stick around and talk to them like that," the boy admitted. "But I had to catch my breath, and I wanted to make sure the woman on the other dock had help with her, too. But, yeah, one time an old woman bought me a churro – and all I did was give her _directions_. That was pretty nice of her, really."

Strange rolled his eye, amused.

"A _churro_, huh?"

"Yeah. I was hungry, and she offered."

"You're not very good at asking for things, are you?"

The boy shrugged.

"I don't really _need_ anything," he pointed out. "Even before… when it was me and May. I had everything I needed, you know? Food, shelter, love. All of it." He hesitated, realizing that the conversation had taken a somewhat sentimental turn, and wasn't sure that Strange really should have to deal with him in that state of mind. But he wanted to at least finish the thought. "And now, I _still_ have all of that. Plenty of it. People who support me, even though I'm young and dumb, sometimes – and a pain in the ass, most likely – _and_ a magnet for trouble." He smiled. "What possible reward would I need, when you look at everything I already have?"

Strange smiled; well aware that the middle of the night was a common time for introspection – and Peter had plenty to think about. He reached out and ruffled the boy's hair with genuine affection.

"You're not _that_ much of a pain in the ass. Just so you know."

"That's reassuring."

A small plate appeared on the counter between them, and on it was a churro.

"Eat that and then go get some sleep," the sorcerer ordered. "I have a feeling you're going to be in high demand, tomorrow, once the others wake up and see this video."

"Thanks, Doctor Strange."

"You're welcome. And do me a _favor_, will you?"

"Yeah. Anything."

"Why don't you start calling me _Stephen_? We're _friends_, right?"

Peter's smile was warm, and a little surprised.

"Really?"

"Yeah. We'll save the formalities for when you do something _dumb_. I'll call you Mr. Parker and you can call me Dr. Strange."

"Okay. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Good night. _Stephen_," the boy told him, picking up the churro, but not bothering with the plate.

"Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget your _cat_."

The boy laughed, and reached for the handle of the basket Nutmeg was sleeping in.

"Right."


	43. Chapter 43

He slept in the next morning, not surprising Strange or Wong, really. The _doctor_ had slept in, as well, but had been woken by a call from Natasha, who had seen the video that Stark had sent her and wanted to make sure that Peter hadn't taken any injury in the water rescue. He assured her that the boy was fine – a stray elbow to the face, but nothing more – and if she wanted, he'd bring him by the compound later to give her a chance to see him.

Just to be sure.

Natasha had accepted that, mentioned they'd be free at lunch time – around one – and had let him go. He debated going back to sleep or getting up, and had decided to get up. After a shower and a fresh change of clothes, he was much more awake, and went down to the kitchen to join Wong, who was drinking coffee and looking at the paper.

"Peter went out last night?" he asked without preamble.

"Yes. How did _you_ know?"

"Made the morning paper."

He held up the front section of the newspaper, although it was the back page. There was a picture of the dock with police and rescue vehicles swarming it, and the classic car being pulled out of the water using a dock crane. The headline stating in bold letters that the car had been forced off the dock in a police chase, and a quick scan of the article stating that _Spiderman_ was suspected to be responsible for saving the lives of the two passengers in the car – although they didn't have any confirmation, aside from the webbing that had been holding the car to the dock and that the woman had been tagged with. The webbing was gone, of course, but the police had seen it, and maybe even a reporter, if they'd arrived at the scene before the stuff had dissolved.

"It doesn't say who the car belongs to," Strange noted. "Just that they're _unknown_, at this time."

"They probably just wanted to get the story up before anyone else," Wong pointed out. "Why bother waiting for all the details and maybe getting scooped by the internet news pages?"

The doctor nodded.

"Want to see the video?"

"There's a video?"

"Peter's suit records his actions – presumably for briefing purposes. When he came in last night, we called Tony to let him know what happened and to have him get the video downloaded to us so we could see it. Natasha and the Avengers have a copy, as well."

"Let me see."

The display from the night before returned to the kitchen island, and Wong and Strange watched the rescue unfold once again, concluding with Peter telling the man he'd rescued that he didn't need a reward, and to have a good night – which amused Wong.

"World's _politest_ superhero, huh?"

Strange smiled.

"Yes."

"Any idea who the guy is?" Wong asked. "For some reason he looks familiar."

"I was thinking the same thing," the doctor agreed. "But, no. Maybe he's been on television, or something."

Of course, neither of them _watched_ television, so that was unlikely.

"Peter's still asleep?"

"Yes. Natasha wants him at the sanctum, today – probably for some kind of debriefing – so we'll head over there at lunch."

"No lingering injury? It looked pretty scary there for a minute while they were in the water."

"He was fine before I sent him to bed. A new bruise to add to his collection, maybe."

"I'll make sure during our lesson this morning once he wakes up."

As his sparring partner, Wong was very familiar with the way Peter moved. If something was off, due to an injury, he'd notice it almost immediately.

"Thanks. Let me know."

OOOOOO

It wasn't too much later before Peter made his own appearance. He, too, had been woken by a phone call – his was from Ned, who had been excited by the newspaper article and wanted to know what had happened the night before. He'd given the barest of details – enough to get him off the phone since Nutmeg was running amok through his room and the polymorph, the bottle of aspirin, his wallet, keys, and the bottle of water that had all been on the stand next to his bed were now on the floor beside it – and he'd had to rescue his Ironman doll from the kitten, who was dragging it around like a defeated enemy.

Peter finally picked up the polymorph and held it in his hand.

"A cage."

The thing melted as the nanotechnology rearranged itself into a small cage about the size of a shoebox. It was more like a birdcage, since there were a lot of very thin wires that formed it instead of a solid surface – complete with a small opening. Peter put it on the nightstand and stuck the Ironman doll inside, closing it firmly away from the rambunctious kitten.

Then he picked up the kitten, still wearing the sweats he'd slept in, and went to find Wong.

It was time to start his day.

OOOOOO

When he and Strange arrived at the compound just before lunch, Peter found a small group of Avengers waiting for him in the lounge. Steve, Clint and Natasha all smiled when he and Stephen entered the room, and he knew immediately that they must have seen the video Tony had sent Natasha, just by the way they were looking at him. He walked over and sat beside her, saying hello to Steve and Clint as he did, and noticed all of them searching his face – probably for new bruises.

"Hey, baby," Natasha said, reaching out and brushing her fingers along his cheek. "How are you doing?"

He smiled, wondering how old he'd be before she decided that he was probably too old to be called _baby_, anymore. Not that he cared, though. He knew she loved him. That was all that mattered. She could call him anything.

"I'm fine," he assured her, as Strange sat on the other side. "You saw the video?"

She frowned.

"I _did_. Several times."

"Water rescue like that's pretty _dangerous_, Peter," Steve said. "Especially for someone who would have sunk like a stone less than a year ago."

"I did okay."

"Yeah. But maybe you and Clint need to go back to the pool a few times. _He_ can teach you the proper way to pull someone out of the water without letting them throttle you."

Peter looked over at Clint.

"You _can_?"

The archer grinned, leaning back in his chair, smugly.

"I lifeguarded in High School during the summer. It was a good way to make easy money, work on my tan and meet girls. Was also a swimming instructor."

Which explained why Natasha had been so determined that Clint be the one to teach him to swim, Peter realized.

"That's so cool."

"Yeah. Lifeguards always have some pretty girl standing around, watching them. We'll work on it when you get back from Wakanda, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

Strange had been watching Natasha during the conversation between Peter and Clint, wondering what had her looking at Peter the way that she was. She looked concerned – not unusual for her, since he'd done something dangerous and she was fairly overprotective of him – but he'd come out of it just fine, and wasn't arguing about the need for lessons. One way to find out, really.

"Peter," he said, when there was a break in the conversation. "Would you mind getting me a cup of coffee? Please?"

"Sure, Stephen."

The boy got up and headed for the bar, and Natasha turned to the doctor.

_"Stephen?"_

He shrugged.

"It's ridiculous that he's so formal around me."

"Are you _bonding_ with our Peter Parker?" Clint asked, amused.

Strange rolled his eyes, but he'd sent the boy away for a reason, and even though he knew Peter would stop and chat with the bartender, they only had so much time for a conversation.

"It's not that surprising, really. Is there something bothering you?" he asked Natasha, directly. "He wasn't injured, last night. I checked the moment he returned."

"Do _you_ know who he saved?"

"No. I thought that he looked _familiar_, but I couldn't place him. Or _her_."

"His name is Joel. Joel King."

"That doesn't mean anything to me, Natasha," he admitted.

"Because _you're_ not involved in organized crime," Steve said, before she could. And suddenly Rogers' expression was a little concerned, too. "According to Nat, this guy is the person in charge of the entire east coast operation of the Russian mafia."

"What?" He looked at Natasha, who nodded. "He's a mobster?"

"Not just _any_ mobster," she said. "He's _the_ mobster. Peter just saved the life of a guy who is far more dangerous than anyone else in the state – maybe the _country_."

Aside from herself, of course.


	44. Chapter 44

Peter wasn't nearly as concerned as the others all seemed to be when they told him the identity of the man that he'd saved.

"He doesn't know who I am, right?" he pointed out. "I mean. What does it _matter_?"

"King might start wondering what you saw _before_ his car went into the water," Natasha replied. "We're going to assume he _wasn't_ out for a pleasure drive on the docks with his headlights off in the middle of the night. If he does, he might start trying to figure out who you are. Which could be a problem."

The boy frowned.

"I didn't see anything."

"Yeah. We know," Steve said. "And it might be _nothing_, really. But it might be _something_, too. So, it's probably a good thing that we're getting you out of the country for a while. Let you lay low and get Spiderman out of his mind."

Peter hesitated.

"Does Tony know?"

"Which part?"

"He knows about the _rescue_," Peter said. "I called him last night. Does he know _who_ I saved? Is he mad?"

"No." Romanoff reacted to the concern suddenly in the boy's expression. "He's not _worried_, Peter. That's _my_ job. But unless it's incredibly urgent, I – _we_ – don't want you out again before you go to Wakanda. As _Spiderman_, I mean."

"Okay."

He looked down, trying to figure out how the universe could hate him so much that a simple rescue could make everyone he loved so on edge. He'd been so proud of himself, managing to save a couple of people – and from the _water_, no less. But it was a flop. Now everyone had that worried look in their expressions – _again_.

And Tony and Pepper _would_ worry about it, of course – unless they already _were_ and Natasha just didn't know about it. Or she _knew_ and was trying to keep him from worrying. He'd screwed up. Not on _purpose_, of course, but it didn't matter. He was right, when he'd told Stephen Strange that he was a magnet for trouble. Tony and Pepper might even cut short their trip. Or they might tell the others to keep him at the compound, instead of allowing him back to the sanctum, thinking that Strange wasn't doing a good job watching him and keeping him out of trouble. A simple rescue, and suddenly-

"_Hey."_

Romanoff wasn't the only one to notice the beginning of a panic attack. They all knew Peter was extremely susceptible to them and they knew him well enough by now to see it building; in his posture, in his sudden silence, and the way he was suddenly trembling for no reason other than stress.

Peter didn't look up. Was unwilling to see if they were all suddenly disappointed – even though his mind was telling him that he was being ridiculous about the whole thing. He hadn't done anything _wrong_. He was worrying for nothing. Which, of course, made him worry about _that_, too. The panic attack was well and truly beginning, now, and he was suddenly worried that he'd want to be somewhere else, and the teleporting stone would pop into his palm and ask him where he wanted to go, and then-

"_Peter_." Natasha's hand on his chin forced his gaze to meet hers, and her expression was the same loving one that it always was. She didn't look mad. Or upset. Or even _worried_, now. She just looked focused on him. "It's okay, baby. _Really_. You didn't do anything wrong, here. Understand?"

Her voice – and her tone – cut into the panicked train of thought. Broke him out of the cycle of worry. A _little_, anyway. Enough that he was able to focus on her, rather than the worries that were suddenly plaguing him.

"But-"

"No _buts_," Steve said, also reacting to the panic building in the boy's expression. "You saw someone in the water and they needed help and you saved them. That's what a hero does. They don't stop and ask who they are, first, or if they're rich, or poor, or good, or bad. They see the problem and they solve it. I'm proud of you."

Peter's smile was shaky, but it was genuine. The words were exactly what he needed to hear, of course, and who better than _Captain America_ to tell him that?

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. It's what I would have done, too."

His heart stopped racing, and his mind, which had been reaching every direction, was suddenly able to concentrate once more on the company he was keeping, and not on how he was worried that he had screwed up and somehow disappointed them.

"Thanks, Steve."

"You're welcome." He smiled, hiding his relief. "Besides," he added. "That was a pretty car. It would have been a shame to see it at the bottom of the harbor."

"True."

"Even Russian mobsters can have good taste," Clint added. "Let's eat," he told them. "Then I want to see what you can do with a point on the end of the stick."

Peter raised an eyebrow.

"You want to try me with an actual _spear_?"

Barton shrugged.

"It's not the same as a staff, and you've only got a few days to learn the difference. Better get to it." He looked at Strange. "What's Wong doing? Anything that can't be interrupted?"

The sorcerer shrugged. He was aware that the Avengers wanted Peter to be occupied with something physical the rest of the day. The panic attack was averted, but the best way to keep it from reoccurring was to get his mind on something else.

"When we're done eating, I'll go get him."

OOOOOO

"You wanted to see me?"

The tall man standing at the bar turned and nodded. He was good looking, dark haired, with dark eyes and a bruise on his cheek that gave him a slightly sinister mien.

"I do. Yes. Come have a drink."

The other joined him at the bar, and the man poured him a drink, not asking what he wanted. He knew him well enough to know his preference.

"How is Marie?"

"She's sore. Scared, still. Has a nasty welt where the seatbelt caught her. But she's alive. It could have been a lot worse."

"Yeah. You're okay?"

"Yes. I'm taking her on a trip – to get her mind off things. I have a project for you, though, while I'm gone, Alex."

"Anything, Joel. You know that."

"I want you to find me Spiderman."

"Yeah. Okay. I can have him waiting for you when you get back. I'll even giftwrap him."

There was a slight snort of amusement.

"No. That isn't what I meant. I don't want him _harmed_. I want to know who he is. The man behind the mask, so to speak – although I have a feeling he's a lot younger than we might think."

"Why do you say that?"

"Just a vibe I got when I was talking to him."

"You want me to make contact with him, when I find out?"

There was no uncertainty. The man called Alex was extremely good at what he did. He was Joel King's information man, and had been for a long time.

"No. I'll do that, myself. I want you to make sure he isn't hurt. He saved my life. More importantly, he saved _Marie_. I owe him. I just need to find him, first, to see what he needs."

"I'll get some men on it."

"No, Alex. Take care of this one, personally. Alright? I don't want it screwed up."

"Yeah. I'll find him for you, Joel. By the time you get back, I'll be able to tell you everything you want to know – family, friends, what his dog's name is – even what he had for breakfast."

King smiled; that was what he liked best about the man. His towering confidence.

"You find out, you don't tell anyone else. Maybe he could use a job, or something, hey? We could use someone like that on the payroll…"

"I'll take care of it. When are you leaving?"

"Tonight."

"Have a good trip."

"Yeah."


	45. Chapter 45

"_Are you alright?"_

Peter nodded, smiling at Pepper, who had her chin on Tony's shoulder while they spoke with him.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Wong put this canvas-looking shirt on me – just in case – and I didn't even get a scratch."

"_Really?"_ Tony asked, feigning shock. Which made the boy and Pepper both chuckle. _"Not even a _bruise_?"_

"Nope. The _canvas_ is a little torn – so we might keep using for a while – but no new injuries for me."

"_And nothing lingering from last night?"_ Stark asked. _"You're sure you're okay? Stephen checked you out?"_

"He _did_. So did Doctor Adams – just so you guys have a second opinion."

"_Which isn't necessary,"_ Tony said. _"We trust Stephen."_

That made Peter smile. _He_ trusted Stephen, too.

"What are you doing today?"

"_I'm going to go fishing. Pepper is going to track down your baby zebra buddy with a couple of guides. We haven't seen him in a couple of days, now, and we want to make sure we can find him when you get here."_

"Think he's okay?"

Stark shook his head, his eyes amused. The kid worried about everyone but himself. All the time. Even a baby zebra half the world away, that he'd never met.

"_They say he's fine. It's common for them to go to different watering holes, and that's probably what his momma is doing. But we want to know where to find him."_

"Three days," Peter reminded them – which made both of them smile.

"_We can't wait,"_ Pepper told him.

"_Natasha's flying?"_

"Her and Clint," Peter confirmed. "Steve's coming, too."

"_Why don't you invite Stephen?"_ Tony suggested. _"He can come for the day and go back when the rest of them do."_

"Shouldn't you ask T'Challa, first?"

Stark smirked.

"_He suggested it."_

"I'll ask."

"_Good. Let us know what he says, so we can tell T'Challa."_

"Okay."

"_Need anything?"_

"I'm good, guys."

Tony hesitated, looking as if he wanted to say something else. Instead, he smiled.

"_We miss you."_

"I miss you, guys, too. A lot."

"_Where are you sleeping tonight?"_

Peter knew where that question was coming from, and he understood – and appreciated that Tony was trying to look calm about the mob thing to keep _him_ from worrying about _them_ worrying about _him_.

"I'm at the sanctum. _Natasha's_ here if anything comes up."

"_Stephen's probably going to start charging us nightly rates to board Avengers there,"_ Tony complained. But he looked relieved, which made Peter glad that he hadn't put up a fuss when Natasha mentioned that she'd like to come back with him and the sorcerers once they'd all had dinner.

"_Where's Nutmeg?"_ Pepper asked.

The boy moved his phone, shifting the view so that they could see Wong, Natasha and the cloak all on the floor, playing with feathers on sticks; the kitten trying to catch them.

"_Is he staying at the sanctum while you're here?"_ Tony asked, amused to see a powerful magician and the most dangerous woman in the world – as far as _he_ was concerned – brought down by several ounces of yellow/orange fluff and a pair of big blue eyes.

"Wong's going to watch him."

"I'm going to keep him and find Peter a lizard, or something,_"_ the sorcerer confirmed, looking over his shoulder at the phone.

"Like I wouldn't notice the difference?"

Pepper chuckled.

"_We'll let you go, Peter. Sleep well, okay?"_

"Goodnight, mom." He smiled at her instant response to that one single word, and then turned his attention to Tony. "I love you guys."

"_We love you. Be good."_

The call ended, and Peter set his phone down, leaning back with a sigh.

"How are they doing?" Strange asked, walking into the room with a cup of coffee in his hand, and shaking his head, amused, when he looked over at Wong and Natasha. "_Tony and Pepper_, that is. I already know how Wong and Natasha are."

Mindless, baby-talking idiots – for the _moment_, anyway. He wondered if the cloak was talking to the kitten mentally in baby-talk, also, but didn't ask Peter – and certainly couldn't ask the relic. He sat down on the sofa by Peter, careful not to spill his coffee.

"They're good. Tony's going to go fishing, and Pepper is going to go look for that baby zebra."

"Alone?"

"No. Tony said they have guides. They want to be able to show him to me when I get there, so they need to keep an eye on him."

"You're going to end up wanting to keep him," the doctor predicted. "You'll see him, and he'll probably be cute and fuzzy, and Tony will tell Pepper that nothing will make you happier, and _poof_! baby zebra in the Avenger's parking lot, munching hay like he owns the place."

The boy laughed.

"Except that I'm allergic."

Otherwise, who knew?

"The only true safeguard."

"Tony said T'Challa wants you to come with us when Natasha and the others take me over. Are you interested?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. That's what he said."

"I'll think about it."

Peter could see that the idea intrigued him, though, and figured that he'd probably say yes.

"Since Nutmeg is being _distracted_," the boy said. "Do you want to play chess?"

"Sounds good."

Maybe they could keep the pieces on the board, this time.

OOOOOOO

"_How'd he do?"_

"As near as I can tell, he stayed in his room all night." Strange shrugged. "But I don't have an artificial intelligence to spy on him for me."

Stark rolled his eyes, amused as always when dealing with the magician.

"_Not a spy. Just a helper."_

And kind of a baby-sitter.

"Natasha stayed in one of the guest rooms last night – after making sure Peter didn't want her to sleep with him. When I checked him a few minutes ago, he was in his bed, and she was in hers."

"_Well, that's a relief. What are you guys doing, today?"_

"Lesson with spears, breakfast and then Wong is going to have Peter help him catalogue some artifacts – ones that we already know about, so nothing too extreme. How was the fishing?"

"_I caught this thing that looked like a swordfish, sort of, only it had eyes on the top of its head and a single set of gills. Apparently, they're only native to this one lake in Wakanda."_

"Really? Did you keep it?"

"_No. According to the guys that were with me, they're not good for eating, so I took a picture with it and let it go."_

"Peter's rubbing off on you."

Stark shrugged, smiling for a moment. That wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

"_Yeah."_

"Did Pepper find Peter's zebra buddy?"

"_Yes. Right where the guides said it would be. They're going to tag the little guy – to make it easier to find him when Peter gets here. He told you you're invited out when they come?"_

"He did."

"_And?"_

"It'd be crazy to say no. Wong would kill me."

"_How is he doing with the spears? Should I be worried?"_

"He's remarkably quick, Tony. You know that. Once he gets it down – and watching him today, I'd say he's close – he won't take long to reach top speed, as well. They won't be able to make him look bad. Which is all he's worried about."

_"Yeah. I was watching some of the locals training. They start pretty young with those spears and with bows. I haven't seen a klutz, yet. They're pretty sharp."_

"The fighters? Or their spears?"

_"Both."_

"He's up to it. I don't imagine T'Challa is going to allow any real shenanigans. It's probably bad form to have a guest maimed or something."

_"Yeah. Well… All the more reason for you to come out, too."_

"I'll be there. Tell Pepper I said hello."

_"I will."_

The call ended and Strange finished drinking his coffee, enjoying the peace and quiet in the sanctum while he could. Between the kitten and the boy, there was a lot more going on than they were really used to, after all. It was more fun than the magician cared to admit.


	46. Chapter 46

"Got everything?"

"Yes."

"Are you _sure_? I'm not going to turn the jet around just because you didn't remember to bring your favorite pair of boxers."

Peter grinned, too excited to even blush, and Natasha wasn't the only one to smile.

"I'm _wearing_ them," he told her – which made the others smile.

They were all standing in the rear cargo area of the Quinjet. Natasha, Steve, Clint, Stephen, Wong and Peter. The boy had been up most of the night, too excited about leaving for Wakanda to sit still, really. Much less, _sleep_. Steve was stowing the large bag that held Peter's clothes and other items, while Clint was getting ready to do the preflight. He and Natasha were going to be tag-teaming the flying, while Peter would be co-pilot for the most part – until they drew close to Wakanda. Then it would be both skilled pilots in the front.

Just in case.

"Your cloak didn't want to come?" Clint asked Strange.

"No. It isn't interested in Wakanda, or her people. Only _Peter_ – and not enough to put up with the rest."

Natasha didn't hide her amusement.

"You don't need anything for Nutmeg?" Peter asked Wong.

"No." The sorcerer didn't bother to remind the boy that if he needed anything, a simple thought would produce it, and the kitten would be fine. "He's in good hands."

"Oh, I know, Wong," Peter assured him. "I just feel a little guilty leaving him with you when he's not the politest of creatures."

The argument that Strange had made with Peter about not having a full-time sanctum cat was already proving true. The kitten was a handful – as Strange and Wong already knew that cats were. He had run amok among the library shelves, knocking books and scrolls to the floor before Wong could catch him, and had dragged a 4th century bullwhip off its display case, shattering the glass when the thing had fallen over and taking off and hiding for hours before they'd managed to find him.

Which had prompted the immediate creation of a large kennel-like enclosure with his food dish, a water bowl, all kinds of toys and blankets and no door or joining metal sections. Which was where Nutmeg was at that moment. Safely out of trouble. _Hopefully_.

"Let me know how it goes – if Okoye challenges you."

Peter grinned.

"I will."

He hugged the other man, something that didn't happen, often. Wong was fairly reserved, really, in his own right. Not the same way that Stephen was, but almost less approachable because of it. But Peter liked him.

Wong didn't show any sign of awkwardness as he returned the boy's hug, and he ruffled his hair as they broke loose.

"Have fun."

He looked at the others, in turn, and nodded. Then he vanished.

"Not a big one for good-byes," Strange said, walking over to one of the drop-down seats along the fuselage of the jet.

"The kettle calling the pot black," Natasha told him, waiting for him to settle in and then double-checking his harness as Peter got himself strapped into the jump seat behind the pilot's spot and helped Clint finish the preflight. "Are you comfortable?"

He nodded, not at all annoyed that she checked on him. It was habit for her to do that with any passenger – and he didn't fly all the time, so why would he be offended?

"Yes. How long are we looking at?"

"Commercial flight would be around fourteen hours. We're going to make it in about nine."

"What's the inflight movie?" Steve asked, settling next to Strange and buckling himself in as the rear hatch closed.

"No movie. You guys are on your own as far as entertainment goes."

She left them to get herself set in the copilot's seat and Steve looked at Strange.

"_You've_ got us covered, right?"

A table appeared between them, with a magnetic base that kept it firmly attached to the floor of the jet.

"Yes. When we level out, we'll find something to do to keep ourselves occupied."

"Ready?" Natasha asked Peter, double checking _his_ harness, too, even though he'd flown plenty of times, now.

The boy's eyes were lit up with excitement as he put on his headset and listed to Clint speaking with the flight control at the compound, letting them know they were ready, and their destination and making sure of all commercial traffic off the Atlantic seaboard that they might need to worry about before they reached their cruising height – which was far above the rest.

"Yeah."

She didn't suggest that he try to sleep during the flight. He was too excited, just then. She knew he hadn't slept the night before, so she figured that eventually the dull flight would overcome his excitement and he'd fall asleep without encouragement. They were timing their flight to make their arrival early afternoon Wakandan time, so he would have some time to be awake before their night fell, and that should keep him from being jet-lagged.

"Ready back there?" Clint called out.

There were assorted agreements, and the jet took off with a surge that made Peter whoop with glee – as it did, every time.

OOOOOOO

"_This_ is going to be interesting…" Clint muttered to Natasha, who was in the pilot's seat when they finally made contact with the flight controller that handled Wakandan airspace, both entering and exiting.

"Yeah."

The flight had been boring. Strange and Steve had both dozed off midway, and Natasha and Clint traded off and on as far as piloting, which wasn't that hard since it was a level flight and they could have technically left the autopilot on for the entire flight. Despite expectations, Peter didn't sleep. He was still too excited, and despite everyone pointing out that he'd end up crashing and burning from exhaustion, he hadn't been able to doze off when the others did.

He could sleep later.

Now he was watching over Natasha's shoulder as the jet seemed to be heading directly for a mountainside, and even though he _knew_ it wasn't really there – Shuri had explained how their defensive shield worked the day before when he'd been telling her about the flight – it was still a little scary. The thing could fail to release, or something, and the jet would dissolve into a fiery explosion against the barrier.

He held his breath – noticed that Clint and Natasha did, too – and a moment later they found themselves flying over a broad landscape of green and blue, with a city in the distance.

"_Welcome to Wakanda,_" a metallic voice stated in Peter's headset.

"Thank you," Natasha replied, and started entering commands into the jets GPS system.

Landing coordinates.

He looked over his shoulder and saw that Steve and Stephen were both sitting up and wide awake, now, as well, and he grinned, excitedly.

"We're here."

"Good," Strange said, stretching. "My rear is asleep."

OOOOOOO

"Now, you have to remember not to just rush down the ramp," Steve told Peter, as they felt the jet settled on its landing gear and hiss right before the engines cut out. "There's ceremony to follow."

"Yeah. I know."

He _did_, too. Shuri had gone over the protocol with him and the others in their phone call the night before – to make sure they didn't feel uncomfortable. Clint, Natasha and Strange came and joined him just as the ramp began to lower, the bright sunshine practically blinding after the dim interior of the jet for so long. He felt Steve's hand tighten on his shoulder, and knew he was trying to calm the sudden trembling of excitement that the boy felt when he saw Pepper and Tony standing with T'Challa, Shuri and Okoye, waiting.

"Relax… or your head's going to pop off, and the flight will have been for nothing."

Peter grinned, surprised that the joking did, in fact, calm him a little.

He caught Tony's eyes, and Stark smiled, but clearly was forcing himself not to spoil protocol by rushing up to hug him, either. He and Pepper were tanned and looked amazing. Both were wearing casual clothing – although the Wakandans were in their formal ceremonial clothing. Steve nudged him, and Peter went down the ramp, with the Avengers and Strange following, acting as a ceremonial guard for the boy.

T'Challa stepped up, offering Peter his arm for a handshake. The young king's grin was cheerful, belaying the seriousness of the need for ceremony.

"Peter. Welcome to Wakanda."

"Thank you, T'Challa," the boy said. "It's a pleasure to be here." He turned to Clint, who was carrying a solar cooler in his hands. "I brought you a gift. Your sister told me that you were a fan of the deep dish pizzas from New York. We had them make up a dozen and flash freeze them. They should give you a taste of my home for a few days, anyway."

The king of Wakanda grinned, gesturing for one of his ceremonial guards to take the cooler.

"A _very_ welcomed gift, Peter! Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Shuri stepped forward.

"You remember my sister, Shuri? Princess of Wakanda…"

A formality, of course, since they talked on the phone at least two or three times a week.

Peter smiled, and took Shuri's hand, the girl's eyes alight with amusement and happiness. He brought her hand up and kissed it, a fair imitation of Tony kissing Pepper's whenever _he_ did it, and almost intimate enough to make T'Challa and Tony both falter, just a little. The boy ignored that.

"Shuri. You look beautiful."

"You look very _handsome_, Peter. Welcome to Wakanda."

"Thank you." He put his hand in his pocket, and brought out a golden chain, that sparkled just a little in the early sunlight. "I brought you a gift, too."

"Oh…" she was surprised, he could see. It made him smile as he reached around her to put the pendant on, smoothly. He'd practiced a dozen times with Natasha to make sure he had it down pat. "My aunt had a birthday party," he explained, softly – almost just for _her_ benefit, although T'Challa was close enough to hear. "Thor gave her this. It's of Asgard. Nothing would look better on a woman who has everything earth could offer her, than to give her something that can't be found anywhere on the planet."

The girl's smile broadened, delighted, and she looked at the pendant, which glowed with an inner light, as it always

"It is beautiful, Peter." She hesitated, though. She knew what Peter's aunt had meant to him. "You should save this, though," she said, softly. "For your own daughter or wife."

He hugged her, and shook his head.

"No. It's perfect for you, and I want you to have it. Please?"

"Thank you."

She hugged him closely, for a little longer than ceremony required, and they broke apart when T'Challa cleared his throat. She stepped back, winking, amused, and the king turned to the others.

"Welcome to Wakanda. We have some refreshments set up in the reception room." He turned to Peter, as he took Shuri's hand. "My mother wants to meet you, but it will have to wait until this evening, unfortunately. Spend some time with your parents and then join us, please. They know the way."

"I will, thanks."

Ceremony over, Peter turned to Pepper and Tony, who stepped up as the young king and his sister walked away, followed by the ceremonial guard, who had the others caught with them, discussing the flight.

Pepper hugged him first, and Peter melted against her, holding her tightly and feeling his eyes stinging as she tried to kiss every part of his face and still tell him how happy she was to see him.

"_Momma_…" Peter whispered, clinging to her for a long moment before she forced herself to let him go so Tony could have a chance to greet him as well.

Stark smiled and pulled Peter into his arms, too, and the boy reached his hand up to brush it against the billionaire's jawline, touching the facial hair there and bursting into tears, despite the fact that he'd told himself that he wasn't going to get too emotional when he saw them.

Tony wasn't any better off, though, and they were both soaking the other.

"I missed you," Stark whispered to his boy, smiling when Pepper wrapped her arms around her two guys.

"I missed you, too, dad."


	47. Chapter 47

_A/N: So there will be a lot of artistic license being taken when it comes to Wakanda. I don't have a ton of maps and the like that tell me what is where and all of that, so if I get it wrong or miss something, please bear with me in my descriptions. If I get names wrong, though, definitely tell me._

_Also on a slightly different note; if you see Endgame, please don't put any spoilers in your reviews of this story to avoid allowing those who don't want to be spoiled to see them. Thanks, guys! We're 47 chapters in, and the story is basically beginning, lol._

OOOOOO

The rest of the crowd was dispersing, most heading the same direction that T'Challa had gone with Shuri and the others, but Peter, Pepper and Tony weren't in any hurry to move from their spot. The boy was between the two of them; it was almost as if Tony was hugging Pepper, but had put Peter in the middle to catch the brunt of the loving. Peter didn't mind. He'd been in that position before, and savored the sensation of being so important to them. So _very_ wanted. He had his eyes closed and his cheek resting against Tony's chest, listening to his heart beat and feeling both of them holding him.

"Two weeks was _way_ too long," Tony murmured, finally, the heat of the African sun beating down on them and reminding them that an unshaded landing pad probably wasn't the best place for prolonged cuddling.

"Yeah." He grinned, stepping back and looking at them both, drinking in the sight of them close up and available to touch and be touched, if needed. "I missed you guys so much."

He was with them, now, so it was okay to admit it – and to show them just how much.

"We missed you, too, sweetheart," Pepper assured him, wiping her eyes.

"You're okay?" Tony asked, putting his arm on the boy's shoulders, now, and finally steering him the same direction that the others had gone.

Pepper fell into step with them, on the other side, her arm going around him, as well, only lower, around his waist.

"Yeah."

"How was the flight?"

"_Long."_

"Did you sleep?"

"No," he admitted. "I was too excited."

Which made both of them smile, although Tony shook his head.

"You're going to be _so_ tired, later."

"Yeah. I know. Natasha tried to get me to sleep somewhere over the ocean, but I couldn't relax enough to do it."

He'd been aware that he was so close to them, by then. Eight hours. And then five hours. Who could sleep?

"We were pretty useless the first day or so," Pepper added as they walked.

Now that he wasn't distracted by the excitement of seeing Tony and Pepper, Peter had a chance to look at their destination. The city was huge – far larger than he'd truly expected – and beautiful. He had to admit that he didn't really know what to expect, even with Shuri's pictures, but nothing would have been able to prepare him for the reality.

"This place is amazing…" he said, watching what looked like a train go by overhead. "Have you looked around?"

"No. We've been in the countryside," Pepper replied. "Our first day we were here, but the villa – for lack of another word for it – is on a river about fifty miles from here."

"Far enough away to have all kinds of wildlife," Tony said. "Including that little zebra."

Peter smiled.

"What else have you seen?"

"We'll tell you, later," Stark told him, ruffling his hair, even as they walked. "Let's get through the reception, first."

"Will I see the villa?"

"Yeah."

They walked through a magnificent building that towered above them, and past a line of warriors, all holding spears and watching them, intently. Peter felt Toy's hold on him change, slightly, and smiled because he knew it was an automatic move to want to shield him from any potential threat the guards may pose to him. His spider senses weren't giving him any reason to be alert, though.

The room that they walked in reminded Peter a little of the room on Asgard, where Thor had had them all fed and entertained. There were couches and cushions on the floor, and people were everywhere, eating, talking and watching the newcomers. T'Challa had seated himself on what was probably a throne – but might _not_ have been, Peter wasn't sure. He'd never actually seen one in person, after all. Shuri was standing beside him, relaxed and speaking with Steve and Clint, while the young king was talking to Natasha and Strange.

They all smiled when Pepper, Tony and Peter joined them.

"Together again," T'Challa said, clearly pleased at how cheerful Peter looked to be reunited with Tony and Pepper.

The boy grinned.

"Yeah. Thanks for taking such good care of them."

Tony rolled his eyes at the implication that he'd needed a babysitter, but the king winked.

"We made certain they would have excitement, but no true _danger_."

"We will do the same with _you_," Shuri added. "I'll show you some of the city, tomorrow, and some of the things that I do."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"How was the flight?" T'Challa asked. "Natasha tells me you did not sleep."

"Yeah. No. I mean, it was pretty exciting. Coming here, and all. I couldn't relax enough to sleep."

T'Challa smiled, pleased that Peter was excited to be there – even though he knew a lot of that had to do with being reunited with his parents. He gestured to a large area on the floor that was slightly raised above the rest. There were cushions and plush carpeting, and it was obviously prepared as a place for the visitors to sit and eat while watching what was going on around them in comfort.

"We will have a light meal," T'Challa said. "And entertainment. Then you and your friends can spend some time with Tony and Pepper before they leave tomorrow."

The group went over and sat down, making themselves comfortable. As they had since he got off the jet, Tony and Pepper took either side of Peter, but the others dispersed among some of the Wakandans who had joined them on the platform area. They were immediately all handed plates, and glasses. Servers came with various food items that were designed to be taken off the platters and could all be eaten with one's fingers. Drinks were served, alcoholic and non, and Peter saw that Shuri and T'Challa both joined them on the dais as well; Shuri sitting on the other side of Pepper – and next to Steve, and T'Challa beside Strange and Tony.

There was a lot of polite small-talk while they are, and Peter was constantly interrupted by people coming up to where he was seated, introducing themselves and asking about his flight and what he thought of Wakanda. He answered the same way every time; the flight was fine, and Wakanda was as lovely as he had been told. Of course, he hadn't seen much of it, yet. The food was good, but he was hungry enough that he could have eaten anything, really, and Shuri made a point to let Pepper know that those responsible for anything Peter would be eating had been informed that he wasn't allowed cinnamon or nutmeg.

"Speaking of nutmeg," the princess said, smiling. "Who is watching your new kitten?"

"Wong has him."

She knew who that was – having been told he was an associate of Dr. Strange's.

"He is so precious," Shuri said, looking at a picture on Peter's phone. One of the kitten with Wong.

"_Stephen_ told me that he's something of a delinquent," Tony said, amused.

"My sweet, innocent baby?" Peter asked, feigning shock. "He's like Mary Poppins; perfect in every way."

"I heard he tore up the library," Pepper pointed out.

"That was just a _misunderstanding_."

Shuri smiled, but before they could start taking sides on that particular debate, there was a change in the background music, and a troupe of dancers and acrobats suddenly appeared, obviously charged with entertaining those attending the reception. There wasn't any more chance to talk as the entertainers took the center stage.

"You'll _like_ this," Shuri whispered to Pepper. "They are very skilled in their craft. Very _exciting_."

Not exciting enough, however. Peter was filled with a solid meal. He was tired from more than a full day without sleep, and most importantly, he was with _Tony_. Stark was enjoying the show that T'Challa's people were putting on, but he was also very much aware of Peter beside him, and knew exactly the moment that the excitement of the entertainment lost to the weariness that was simply waiting for him.

Twenty minutes into the show, Peter was asleep, cuddled next to Tony with his head resting on his dad's leg.

Tony smiled over at Pepper, while Clint took note of the time.

Time enough later to see which one of them won the poll that mentioned _when_ Peter would fall asleep, and _who_ he would end up using as a pillow. For now, they just let him sleep and enjoyed the show.


	48. Chapter 48

"Peter?"

The boy might have been able to ignore the voice – even _Tony's_ – but not the hand that was gently shaking his shoulder. He didn't wake, immediately, though. He was pretty tired.

"Hmmm?"

"Wake up, son. The performance is over."

"I'm _tired_…"

There was a decidedly feminine chuckle somewhere above his head, and his sleepy mind recognized it as Pepper's. Which reminded him that he was with them, again, in Wakanda. That woke him, a little.

"You don't want your hosts to think you can't handle a simple ten hour flight and multiple time zone changes, do you?" Tony asked.

Peter sighed and opened his eyes, not too surprised to find his head resting on Tony's leg. It wasn't the first time, after all. He saw people all around them, on the platform and off. Without even lifting his head, he could see T'Challa and Natasha talking, Steve and Shuri, and Clint speaking with some of the Wakandan security people. There were a lot of people, making even the large room seem somewhat crowded. Stephen was off to one side, surrounded by a group of elegantly dressed men and women, and the boy idly wondered what a brain surgeon and some tribal people would have to talk about that was so interesting.

He turned and looked up at Tony, feeling a rush of happiness when he saw the tender expression on his face and knew it was all for him.

"What?"

Stark smiled.

"Wake up enough to say some goodbyes, and we'll get you into a real bed as soon as possible, okay?"

"Yeah."

The boy sat up, feeling groggy and thick-headed, but shaking it off as well as he could. He saw Shuri glance over as he did, and by the time Tony had pulled him to his feet and was holding him upright with a strong hand under his elbow, she had walked over to join them.

"You look exhausted, Peter," she told him, with an amused smile.

"I _feel_ exhausted," he admitted. "What did I miss?"

"Some dancing. A storyteller. Did you fall asleep before or after the acrobats?"

"What acrobats?"

Stark smiled.

"Before, it is."

Shuri chuckled, and reached for Peter's hand.

"May I borrow Peter, Tony? I would like to introduce him to a few of the local tribal chieftains."

"Of course." Tony gave the boy a look. "Stay out of trouble."

He took Pepper's hand and led her over to talk to T'Challa, and Shuri grinned, hauling Peter the other direction toward the same group of people that Strange was talking to, smoothly melding the two of them into the conversation without interrupting or intruding. She was a princess, after all. She was good at being charming.

OOOOOO

"Why do you look so annoyed?"

"I am not."

The young man might have fooled any other with his disclaimer. His face was expressionless, just then, the tattoos proclaiming that he was beyond his manhood trials making a handsome design along the side of his neck and down his shoulder were well healed, and he wore them proudly. But this was his mother, and she knew his moods well. Including the dark moods he sometimes had.

"Azoru…" She followed his gaze, and realized that he was watching Shuri and the visitor as the princess introduced the one called Peter to some others. "Would you like to meet him? I have spoken to his mother several times. She tells me that he is very bright, and friendly."

The jaw tightened, just a little.

"She should not be touching him. He is an outsider."

"_Azoru."_

This time her voice was filled with reprimand, and he flinched, automatically. She _was_ his mother, after all. He scowled, both at his reaction to her, and at the implication that he was wrong to have said what he did.

"It is not right. T'Challa should _never_ have allowed them to come."

"_King_ T'Challa," she corrected, emphasizing the title to remind her son that just because he was a young noble, it did not mean that he was allowed to be disrespectful. "Has wisely decided that Wakanda cannot be isolated forever and that events beyond our lands will eventually come to affect us, as well."

"Nothing can affect us. We are protected."

"By our _technology_. Tony Stark is a brilliant engineer. Now that he is in the city, I would be very interested to hear what he thinks of it."

He scowled, again, still looking at Shuri and the boy, and not missing the way she was holding his hand. As if they were actually friends. Or more.

"Stark shouldn't be allowed to view our secrets."

"Do you want to meet Peter?" his mother repeated. "He is the son of _Ironman_, after all. I am sure he has a story to tell, or two."

Even Wakanda knew of the _Avengers_. They were isolated, yes, but not primitives.

"No." But he _did_ want to talk to Shuri. He just didn't like seeing her with the boy. "Yes."

"Lose the scowl. I will not have you embarrassing the Jabari tribe with bad manners."

He ground his teeth for a moment, and then made a visible effort and his features softened, just a little.

"I am sorry, mother. I would like to meet him."

Mollified, but not at all fooled by his sudden capitulation, the woman nodded and walked with her son over to the same group that Shuri had interjected herself and Peter into only half an hour earlier.

OOOOOO

Peter was a bit more awake, now – although still tired. He and Shuri had joined Stephen in the group, and it had actually been the doctor who had introduced him to the men and women he'd been speaking with. Peter wasn't at all surprised that Strange got every name right, as well as title – if they had one. And it seemed that they all did. He smiled during the introductions and was quick to tell all of them how lovely their country was – even though so far he'd only seen it by air, flying over it.

Several of them had offered to show him around once he was settled in and had a chance to overcome his jet-lag, and he appreciated it. Then they started asking him about himself; nothing too nosy, but they were curious about his country – as much as he was about theirs. He found himself enjoying the conversations – as Shuri had known he would.

"Princess?"

They all turned at the polite interruption, and Peter saw they'd been joined by a woman and a young man – maybe a few years older than himself, if that.

"Uzara," Shuri said, by way of greeting. "It is good to see you. How fares the Jabari?"

"Very well, thank you. You remember my son, Azoru?"

Shuri nodded, offering her hand to the young man.

"I do. It is good to see you, as well, Azoru."

"Thank you, princess."

He turned, purposefully, toward Peter, and Shuri made the introductions.

"Azoru of the Jabari, this is Peter Parker. From New York, in America."

Peter offered the young man his hand, aware that it was an acceptable greeting as the others had offered theirs to him.

"It's nice to meet you, Azoru."

The young man's expression wasn't quite as friendly as his mother's, but he graciously took Peter's hand, his grip much firmer than it needed to be. And visibly annoyed when Peter didn't even seem to notice how hard he had squeezed his hand.

"Yes. It is nice to meet you, as well."

"Peter's father is _Tony Stark_," Shuri said, uncertain if he knew the relationship, and deciding to remind the son of the Jabari tribe that Peter wasn't just a _guest_, but was a guest with powerful connections and not to be scorned. _She_ wouldn't allow Azoru to embarrass Wakanda, either. "He will be our guest for the next couple of weeks."

The young man nodded, releasing Peter's hand and allowing a slight smile to grace his visage.

"The honor is mine, Peter Parker."

Peter's smile was far more sincere.

"You can call me Peter."

"Thank you."

Strange broke the conversation between the two boys to ask the young man's mother a question about the Jabari tribe – he, of course, was well aware he had less than twenty-four hours to learn what he could before they'd be flying home, so he wasn't going to waste any time.

He did, however, make a mental note to tell Peter to stay clear of young Azoru. The boy was positively dripping malice, after all, and probably spoiling for a fight to prove himself to Shuri – or just to show off.

Stephen would have to remind Peter that it would be bad form to beat up a host.


	49. Chapter 49

"Hey, baby…"

Peter smiled when Natasha walked up to him. They were still at the reception, although he was privately hoping that it would end soon, because he was really flagging. The thing was, technically, a welcome to Wakanda party for him, so he knew he should stick around to meet everyone that wanted to be introduced to him, though.

"Hey."

He was standing at a fountain off to the side of the room. T'Challa had claimed Shuri to speak with someone – yet another name Peter knew he'd never remember – and he'd wandered the great room, nodding politely to anyone who greeted him, but not actively looking for conversation. He'd stopped at the fountain, which was a large pool of crystal clear water, sourced from a cascading waterfall that seemed to be coming from several different openings above, but funneled somehow to land perfectly to form a rainbow effect that reminded Peter of a large cat – maybe a jaguar, or a mountain lion.

"I don't think they'd approve of you throwing a coin into their fountain."

Peter snorted, looking into the deep fountain.

"I don't think the _fish_ would appreciate it, either."

She leaned over the light ledge and saw that he was right; there were fish in there. Brightly colored and swimming lazily.

"This place is amazing."

"Yeah. Are you going to be able to get Stephen on the jet tomorrow?"

"T'Challa has already invited to come back with us, when we come to pick you guys up. So he'll get another chance to look around, then."

"Good." They both turned unerringly to where the sorcerer supreme was standing, speaking with a small group that included Pepper and Tony and a couple of people Tony had introduced Peter to earlier. Guides who had been showing him and Pepper the countryside – and had promised to take him to find the baby zebra that Pepper had found. "There's probably enough new things here to fill several books in their library."

"And then some," she agreed. Romanoff smiled, and reached into her pocket, pulling out several fifty-dollar bills and handing them to him. "Before I forget. Here."

"What's this?" he asked, looking down at two hundred and fifty dollars.

She smirked.

"Your share of what I won from the poll."

"The what?"

She explained, amused, and he rolled his eyes, also amused – _and_ trying to decide if he should be offended, or not. He decided that amused was easier to handle, and counted out his money, again before reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.

"You made them _actually_ pay up?"

"Hey," she said, shrugging. "The big boys wanted to play. They _lost_. They _have_ to pay."

"Who all bet?"

"Steve, Stephen, Clint – of _course_ – Tony and myself and T'Challa. Hundred dollars each. _Suckers_…"

"Seriously? _T'Challa_?"

"He heard us talking about it, and couldn't believe that you would fall asleep at your own party. I believe the exact phrase Tony used was _put your money where your mouth is._ Once they explained what it meant, he _did_ – and now it's _my_ money. Well, _our_ money."

She was so smug that he couldn't help but chuckle, looking at the group, again as he put the money in his wallet and put it back in his pocket.

"They're getting along pretty well."

"Yeah. I like T'Challa. I can understand why _Tony_ does, too. He seems like a good man."

"What are you two up to?"

They saw Clint walking over, holding a drink in one hand and munching on a piece of fruit.

"I was giving Peter his half of my winnings."

Barton scowled.

"You should have fallen asleep on _Pepper_, Peter. I'd have given you 60% of _my_ winnings."

The boy smiled; his friends were so weird. Before he could say anything, though, Tony walked over, Pepper's hand in his and a couple of Okoye's ceremonial guards with them. His eyes immediately went to Peter, checking for any sign of extreme fatigue, or injury – which was just an automatic thing, and not because he really thought the boy might have somehow managed to hurt himself standing around talking to people.

"You about ready to wrap this up, for now?" he asked Peter, including Natasha and Clint, too, though. "T'Challa wants to make sure that you guys" – and he looked at the pilots – "are rested for your flight home, tomorrow. And he wants Peter to stay awake when he goes on the first look around tomorrow."

"I could nap," Clint said, shoving the rest of the piece of fruit into his mouth, and wiping his hand on his pants.

Natasha nodded her agreement, noticing that Strange and Steve were both heading their direction, as well.

"Yeah."

Unlike some teenagers, she was smart enough to get her sleep when she could.

"T'Challa's got you guys a set of rooms," Stark told them, as the others walked up. "Okoye's people will show you to them, and we'll see you at breakfast, so don't feel like you need to rush."

They said their goodbyes – all of them clearly ready to get some sleep – and Tony turned his attention to Peter, who had slid an arm around Pepper's waist and was resting his head against her shoulder, so comfortable that he was almost asleep on his feet.

"You need some sleep, too, young man."

"Yeah."

He didn't deny it.

Tony and Pepper flanked him as they walked over to where T'Challa was standing with Shuri, talking to Okoye and a couple of others. Even if Peter knew their names, he couldn't remember them, just then. The king smiled at their approach.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yeah. We're going to let Peter get some sleep so he's not quite the zombie that he is right now."

"Thank you for the reception," Peter told him. "It was great."

"I am glad that you enjoyed it. Get some rest, tonight, though. Shuri has a million things planned to show you and you look tired."

"I will."

Shuri hugged him, still excited to have him in her land, and eager to show him everything that he wanted to see.

"Good night, Peter."

"Good night."

They were led out of the room by one of the king's guards, and taken to a suite. A main living room area, a bathroom and two bedrooms. All incredibly large and luxurious – although Peter was really only interested in the bed, just then. His bag had been brought in and someone had unpacked his clothing and other personal items for him. Toiletries were in the bathroom – although there were many different local items, as well, he saw. His backpack, which held his laptop, his polymorph and a few odds and ends, was on the bed, unopened.

"We'll see you in the morning," Tony told him, reaching out and ruffling his fingers through his hair, affectionately.

"Yeah."

Pepper hugged him, brushing a kiss against his cheek, and they left him alone. He tested the bed, and had to resist the urge to just lie down for a moment, knowing that if he did that, he'd fall asleep, immediately. Instead, he went to the bathroom. He wanted a _shower_, first. Not that he needed help sleeping, but it wouldn't hurt, and nothing beat a good, hot shower before bed.

OOOOOOO

They were both startled awake when he joined them well into the evening. There wasn't any warning; the suite didn't have Friday monitoring Peter's activities for them, and the boy was silent on his feet even when he wasn't trying to be. He was just there, suddenly, mumbling softly to himself as he climbed into their bed.

Pepper sat up, just in time to pull the blanket back so he could get under it with them, and he did, finding his rightful place between them without hesitation and tucking himself against Pepper, who wrapped her arms around him and pressed a kiss against his temple. She looked over at Tony, amused to see that he was looking at his watch.

"Who had three am?" Stark asked, softly.

"Natasha, I think."

"Damn it. That woman is _uncanny_, sometimes…"

"_Momma_…" Peter muttered, against Pepper's neck, obviously more asleep than awake – if he had been awake at all. Pepper had her doubts. The way he was cuddling, and the fact that she realized he also had the Ironman doll in his hand gave her the impression that Peter's younger self had taken command a bit and _he'd_ been the one to seek out some comfort in the middle of the night. "_Momma… momma… momma…"_

He stilled, and she handed the doll to Tony, to keep it from digging into her side during the night.

"He didn't bring this," the billionaire said, looking at the plush toy. "Stephen specifically told me that Peter and Nutmeg have been battling for possession of the thing, so he left it in his room at the compound for safe keeping."

"Must have changed his mind," she whispered, already closing her eyes and ready to go back to sleep.

"Yeah. I suppose."

The question was; did he change his mind before or after he arrived in Wakanda?

Tony didn't care, just then. Really, it didn't matter one way or the other. He nestled against the boy, too, glad that he'd decided to join them, whether it was him, or the little guy who had done the choosing and went to sleep.


	50. Chapter 50

"Peter…"

"Hmmm?"

"Time to wake up, son."

"Five more minutes."

"You _already_ said that."

Tony's voice was amused, but Peter didn't open his eyes to see if his _expression_ was, too. He couldn't open them. They must have been glued, or something, but he was too tired to worry about it.

"_Two_ minutes…"

"Come on, buddy…" the hand on his shoulder was firm. "Natasha and the others are going to be leaving, soon. I know you want to say goodbye to them before they go."

He groaned and forced his eyes open, rolling over and looking up. Tony and Pepper were both watching him. Both were dressed and clearly ready for their day. Peter felt like _he'd_ been drugged, or something.

"Where are they?"

"Gathering in a private room to have breakfast with T'Challa and Shuri. Go get dressed and we'll join them. Natasha wants to see you before she leaves."

He wasn't above using Natasha's name to get him up and moving.

Peter dragged himself out of the bed – which he realized wasn't the same one that he'd gone to sleep in. Or they'd moved it to a different room. One or the other.

"Where am I?" he asked, looking around, owlishly.

Tony frowned.

"Please tell me you know you're in _Wakanda_…"

"This isn't my room… is it?"

Pepper smiled.

"No, sweetheart; it's _ours_. You joined us in the middle of the night."

"Which is a far cry better than having you wandering the palace in the middle of the night looking for _Natasha_," Tony added, before Peter could become too annoyed with himself.

He needn't have worried just then; Peter was too groggy to do anything but look around.

"It's nice."

Stark rolled his eyes.

"Peter," he said, really slowly. "Go… get… dressed… so… we… can… have… breakfast… with… Natasha… and… the… others."

"Okay."

He turned toward the door, still looking around the room, sleepily. The boy bumped the doorframe with his face, twice, but managed to leave. Then he walked into the bathroom and stared at it, looking for his clothes for a long moment, before the image of a different room flashed through his fogged mind, and he moved from the bathroom to go find it.

Pepper smiled, looking over at her husband.

"Do you think you should go make sure he doesn't try to leave without getting dressed?"

"Nah. He'll wake up – at least long enough to make sure the others are good to go. If he's not awake after they leave, we'll send him back to bed to sleep it off."

She shrugged. Tony knew him best, after all.

OOOOOOO

"Hey, baby."

Peter was a bit more awake when he entered the small, somewhat private room that T'Challa and his family had informal meals in. He smiled at Natasha and sat down beside her in the space that she was obviously saving for him. Stephen Strange was in the chair to the other side, and the doctor reached a hand out to brush his palm against the boy's forehead.

"How do you feel, Peter?"

"I'm okay. A little tired."

"You _look_ tired," Natasha agreed.

She nodded hello to Tony when he walked over and grinned when he handed the spy a wad of bills. Romanoff counted it, and then chuckled and handed Peter five $50 dollar bills.

"What's this?" he asked "Another poll?"

"Yup." She grinned. "If they don't learn their lesson and figure out that _I_ know you best, they're all going to be much, much, poorer. And I'm going to have a new _wardrobe_."

Strange scowled, and Peter realized that one of the bills in his hand had most likely belonged to him. _And_ one of the ones in his wallet from the night before. He smiled, making a big deal out of counting – not by number, but by name.

"_Tony_… _Stephen_… _Clint_… _Steve_… and _T'Challa_?" he asked, looking at Natasha, curiously.

"Yup."

"It is bad form to gloat in the presence of a king," the king of Wakanda said, pretending to be annoyed as he watched the proceedings from his spot at the end of the table. "Especially when one is counting money that once belonged to _him_."

Romanoff was unrepentant. And obviously not afraid to show it. Peter was still a little too tired to be diplomatic. He didn't say anything, though, he just pulled his wallet out and stuck the bills with the others.

"What are you going to do with your newfound wealth?" Shuri asked, amused and not bothering to hide it from her brother.

"I'll probably need it to replace whatever Nutmeg breaks while Stephen and Wong are watching him for me."

Which made Strange smile.

"I'll give you the discounted rate," he assured the boy, pleased that he looked more awake, anyway.

"When are you guys leaving?" Peter asked Natasha as Clint walked over and took a seat at the table, clearly just having woken up.

"After breakfast and once we make sure you're settled in."

"I'm good," the boy assured her, touched.

"Do you need anything?" Strange asked, softly. "Anything that you may have left at home that you can't live without?"

"No. I brought everything. Near as I can _tell_."

"Good. You call if you realize anything is missing."

"I will, thanks."

Since Strange had been to Wakanda, now, he could open a portal there. Or jump, even. He _wouldn't_, though, if he could avoid it.

Breakfast was served, then, and Peter was hungry enough to focus his attention on the meal – which wasn't fried water buffalo, or something, as Ned had mentioned, once. It looked a lot like pancakes, eggs, sausages and a lot of different kinds of fruit. He didn't know if he should be disappointed, or relieved.

The conversation around the table was broken into more than one group, and was disjointed because of it. Shuri was well aware that she had Peter for the next two weeks, and as such, she didn't monopolize his time, leaving him free to talk to Natasha, and those who were leaving that morning. Instead, she chatted with Pepper and Tony, who had the same idea – which is why neither of them had gestured for the boy to sit beside them when they'd joined the Wakandans at the breakfast table in the first place.

Peter was much more awake by the time he and the others were finished eating, and was able to see the humor in the $500 he now had in his wallet, also. He wasn't looking forward to watching Natasha and the others leave, any more than he'd enjoyed seeing Pepper and Tony go, when they'd left him at the compound, but he was pretty certain he wasn't going to be as much of a baby about it. Natasha and Clint were both skilled pilots and he trusted them to make the flight, smoothly. Even better, if something happened, Strange was going to be right there, and he could use his formidable magic to save them – even if for some reason he couldn't save the jet.

He'd miss them because they were leaving, but he wasn't worried about _them_ like he had been Tony and Pepper, who had been with pilots Peter hadn't known.

Natasha must have been worried about Peter's reaction to them going, as well. She stayed close to him at breakfast, and then walked by his side after all the small talk after the meal was completed, and those leaving for the compound went to their rooms to get their overnight bags. Steve and Clint walked with him, too.

"You look more awake than you did when you can to breakfast," Steve noted.

"I am," he assured Rogers.

"Lesson learned?" Romanoff asked, amused. "Sleep when I tell you to. No matter how excited you are."

"Yeah."

He wasn't even chagrined, well aware that that was how a lesson was learned, sometimes. The _hard_ way.

They stopped at each room the others had used, and then the five of them walked out to the jet, where T'Challa and his guards were waiting with Pepper and Tony. Shuri was nowhere in sight.

"She is on her way," T'Challa assured them. "She asked that you not leave until she arrives."

"We have plenty of time," Barton said, shrugging.

He grabbed everyone's bags and took them onto the jet to stow them, while Natasha and the others chatted with T'Challa and Okoye, figuring they could talk to Tony and Pepper any time. Peter hung off to the side, though, and was simply looking around with interest, now that he wasn't so tired as he had been that morning – or distracted by being with Pepper and Tony as he'd been when they'd arrived.

Aside from being a landing pad, the area was obviously used as a drilling area – much like the field back at the compound. There were young men and women sparring with each other under the watchful eye of a few adults. Peter noticed that they were using many different kinds of weapons, but that the spears similar to the one T'Challa had given him were the most prevalent. Although most of the younger-looking people were using simple staffs. Like he'd been started off with.

"It is a skill that takes years to master," Okoye told him, walking up beside the boy when she noticed what he was looking at.

"Oh. Yeah." Peter noticed that the young man who had been introduced to him the evening before and had tried to squeeze his hand into hamburger was also standing off to the side with a small group of men his age or older, watching the sparring, as well. "They're going to be…" the title eluded him, but the Mind stone was hovering and provided him the word. "Dora Milaje?"

"Of a hundred who try for the guard, one will be invited to join."

"Oh."

She gave him a look, and Peter knew – even without the Mind stone in his head – what was coming, next. He'd expected it.

"Perhaps you would like a lesson?"

A hand fell on his shoulder, and he saw Natasha had walked over to join him just in time to hear the question.

"We've _given_ him a few lessons," she said, with a slight smile on her face. "He's pretty _good_. I wouldn't underestimate him."

Okoye snorted, clearly not impressed. Her expression was clearly one that asked just how good someone – especially a boy as scrawny and unassuming as Peter – could be with only a few lessons. She was too polite to say so, though. Her words were chosen with care, so as to not offend – but it was pretty clear, even to Peter, that she wanted another go at the boy who had surprised her so much back at the Avenger compound.

"A spear is a tricky weapon to wield."

Romanoff shrugged, her expression devoid of any emotion, but her hand on Peter's shoulder a different matter.

"Then maybe you'd like to have a go with him? While we wait for Shuri to arrive?"

Okoye sniffed.

"It would be bad form – in case I were to accidentally injure him. Perhaps one of the _students_ would-"

"No," Natasha interrupted, squeezing Peter's shoulder. "If _you're_ the best here, then _you're_ the one Peter should try."

The boy mentally rolled his eyes, thinking that Natasha was writing a check that _he_ was going to have to cash. He didn't mind, though. He'd known that it was coming – it had been the whole point of getting the lessons in the first place – he'd just expected to have a little more time before it _had_.

It was probably better that they hadn't left, anyway. If he got clobbered, Stephen was still there to patch him up this way.

Okoye nodded, and snapped her fingers at one of the other guards, who immediately handed Peter the spear she was holding. He took it with a nod of thanks and a look over toward where Pepper and Tony were suddenly turning their direction, as if some parental instinct had suddenly told them that their boy was getting into something dangerous. He turned back to Okoye, who was walking toward the grass, clearly expecting Peter to decline the 'lesson'.

The boy sighed, and tossed Natasha a look as he followed the woman out onto the grass, and suddenly all activity around them stopped as the students sparring were also realizing that something was happening.

"What's going on?" Tony asked, walking over to stand by Natasha, who hadn't moved.

Peter didn't need her help, after all. He might not score any points against Okoye, but he wasn't going to get whitewashed by her, either. No matter how good she was.

"A lesson," Natasha said, aware that Strange and Pepper had both walked up to join her, and T'Challa was coming to stand beside Tony.

"This is probably not a good idea, Natasha…" T'Challa said, with just a hint of concern in his voice. "The spears are a sparring weapon best saved for those with a lot of experience."

And all he'd heard from Okoye since they'd left the compound in New York was how it had to be some kind of fluke that a boy that young was so good at hand to hand.

"I think it's a very _good_ idea," Natasha disagreed.


	51. Chapter 51

The entire area was completely silent as Okoye stopped and waited for Peter. The teen twirled the spear in his right hand as he walked, trying to get a feel for it and was relieved that it felt exactly the same as the one that he'd been learning with. Same weight, same length. He stopped in front of the woman, whose face was expressionless.

"Are you ready?"

He nodded, and took a defensive stance, waiting.

Others looked a bit more concerned.

"Natasha…"

_Tony_ couldn't help but be worried. Peter had had all of _two weeks_ training with the weapon – the very _pointy_ weapon – in his hand. And three of those days he'd been _sick_! He and Pepper had seen all the bruises, too.

"He's _fine_, Tony."

"He almost knocked himself out with the thing, he said."

"That was _last_ week. He's better, now. Trust me."

He _did_. It was Peter that he was worried about. The boy was jetlagged, for one thing, and hadn't slept that much – and what if the _toddler_ somehow got in the way? All of this went through his mind as he watched his son square up, standing in front of Okoye, who looked about as formidable as anyone he'd ever seen. And he'd seen _Natasha_, after all.

Pepper was standing quietly beside him, and Tony knew she must have had similar doubts because the fingers she had around his arm were digging in fairly deeply. He was about to say something when Okoye moved without warning, driving at Peter with a slash of the spear she was holding, a move clearly intended for surprise – and to hit him with the butt of the weapon rather than the sharp end. Pepper moaned, a soft, fearful sound, but it was muted by the clash of metal when Peter's spear came up and blocked the blow, sliding the staff part of Okoye's spear sideways and moving her off balance.

She stepped back, clearly surprised, and Peter smiled, excitedly, as he felt the lessons that Wong had been giving him so diligently suddenly make sense. He already knew that those spider senses of his worked with spears the same as with hand to hand, telling him in advance which direction the blow was going to come from, and with the phenomenal reflexes and coordination he had to go with it, he felt a little more confident – and a lot excited to be doing so amazing.

The only thing that could have made it cooler was if Ned had been there.

Okoye scowled, and lunged, this time trying a different tactic, which Peter blocked, as well, and then the other end of his spear came up to block a ridiculously swift rebound attack that made Pepper moan, again, and dig those fingers deeper into Tony's arm. He absently decided she needed a pair of fingernail clippers, even though at the moment he only had eyes for the match in front of him.

Without a sound, the woman facing Peter came at him in a flurry of complicated swings, turning the weapon – and twice, _herself_ – around in circles and arcs, moving dizzyingly quick as she attempted to land a blow against the boy's defense. He was driven back by the ferocity of the attack, but his spear was moving as swiftly as hers, always seeming to end up just where it needed to be to block whatever attack she tried, next.

Okoye stepped back after the third failed attack, going into a defensive stance to give Peter a chance to launch an attack of his own, but he shook his head.

"I haven't really had a chance to learn _offense_, yet," he admitted. "I don't want to accidently hurt you."

Which told her that he thought it was possible that he might land a blow.

She frowned, lowering her spear from its position to stick the butt against the grass.

"You have only learned defense?"

She looked over at Natasha in disbelief.

"I've only had the spear a couple of _weeks_," he said, a little defensively. "We're still working on getting me up to speed."

"You are up to speed," she said, smiling, impressed and not bothering to hide it. She reached her free hand out to Peter. "Your defense is amazing, Peter."

He grinned and accepted her hand, for a moment thinking that it might have been some kind of trick, but trusting his spider senses, and being rewarded for that with one of those forearm handshakes that they all seemed to do in Wakanda.

"Thank you. I still have a lot to learn, though, I know."

"Perhaps I can give you a few pointers while you're here," Okoye said, clearly thawing in her demeanor as they turned and headed back to the Quinjet and the people who were watching them – which now included Shuri, Peter saw.

"That would be great. If you have the time. Natasha says it's good to see different styles, to have the best range of defense – and offense."

"She is correct."

"Everything alright?" Tony asked, as they approached.

Peter nodded.

"We're fine. I was just showing Okoye what Wong's taught me, so far."

"Your son is very impressive," Okoye told Tony, also looking at Natasha.

Point taken.

Stark smiled, a mixture of pride and relief. Peter decided it was mostly _relief_. Which was fine; he was relieved, too.

"Thank you."

Peter handed the spear back to the guard that had given it to him, trying to ignore the looks that he was getting. Some were annoyed – probably because he hadn't put on a very good show, since he didn't have the offense to do it – and others had probably been waiting for Okoye to wipe the floor with him. Save the pride of Wakanda, that kind of thing.

"You're dropping your left hand too soon on your reverse," Natasha told him as the others started talking to each other, again, and the people in the field returned to their practicing. "You need to keep it higher. Just because _you're_ short, you have to adjust for your opponent."

"I'm not short," Peter told her, automatically. He smiled, though, and hugged her, knowing that they were going to be leaving, now that Shuri was there to add her own goodbyes. "I'll see you in two weeks, when you come get us."

"Unless we decide to make you walk."

He laughed and with his arm still around her waist, they walked over to the jet, where Steve was hugging Shuri, while Stephen was shaking T'Challa's hand.

"Two weeks," Steve told Peter. "Stay out of trouble."

The boy nodded.

"I will."

Strange looked at him, and pulled him into a quick, rough, hug.

"I'll let Wong know the lessons are a success, so far."

"Thanks. Keep an eye on_ what's her name,_ here, will you?" he said, pointing a thumb casually at Natasha, who chuckled, and hugged him again.

"Just for that, you _are_ walking home."

Clint came out from finishing his preflight and winked at Peter before calling for anyone going to New York to get on the plane or they were swimming, and the others said a few more quick goodbyes and then loaded onto the jet. The ramp went up, and Tony reached out and pulled Peter back with a hand on his shoulder, keeping him close while they watched the engines fire up.

A moment later, the aircraft lifted off with a flare that told Peter Clint was the one flying, and was gone.

Shuri waited a respectful moment, and then walked up and reached for Peter's hand.

"Come on. I want to show you my lab."

He grinned, pulled from Tony's embrace, and his introspections by her cheerful expression. He looked at Tony and Pepper, but they waved him away.

"We'll catch up," he promised. "I want to see more of the palace, first."

The two teens nodded, and still holding hands, left.

T'Challa turned to Okoye.

"Did you go easy on him?"

"No."

OOOOOO

"Well, that was _very_ impressive."

Azoru scowled, looking at one of the older men.

"She must have let him block her," he said, darkly. "No one can defeat the Dora Milaje."

"He did not _defeat_ her, Azoru," the man told him, defensively, not appreciating the younger man's attitude. "It was a draw."

"And not a drawn out bout," one of the others said. "I hear his father is _Ironman_ and he lives with the Avengers. They must have taught him much."

The men were all clearly impressed by what they had seen, but Azoru didn't join in their play by play recollection of the bout between Okoye and Peter. He was angry, watching as the Princess Shuri took the boy's hand and they left, heading back toward the palace.

The boy shouldn't be in Wakanda. Azoru didn't like him being there. Didn't like him being so friendly with Shuri – especially since _she'd_ been the reason he had come to the capitol in the first place and had only spoken to him once, since.


	52. Chapter 52

Shuri didn't take Peter immediately to her lab.

There were a lot of sights to see, and she was pleased at how interested he was in everything around them. The palace loomed above them, spires and impressive architecture, glass, steel and rock. All designed and built to be beautiful. Shuri was proud of the capitol city, and took him to an observation area that gave him an amazing view of the entire eastern side.

"Your home is lovely," Peter told her. "I can't believe it's remained hidden for so many years."

"My ancestors were wise enough to understand that human nature would compel others to seek to capitalize on the abundant riches of Wakanda, and were quick to guise the land as a simple group of farming communities not worth noticing for its lack of resources."

"How do they manage to be so advanced and still stay true to their traditions?"

She smiled.

"It is something they _want_ to do, so they _do_. We make sure to have traditional ceremonies when at all possible, and include traditional clothing, dancing and singing. You saw some last night. Well, _you_ slept through it, but the others saw it."

"I hope I didn't offend anyone."

"No. Everyone knows how far you had to travel to get here. Tony and Pepper were badly jet-lagged when they first arrived here, as well. _I_ think it was sweet; you falling asleep on Tony, like you did."

"I wasn't _on_ him."

She smirked and held up her phone, showing him a picture she'd taken. Sure enough, his head was on Tony's leg, and despite himself, Peter smiled at the expression that was on Tony's face just then as he was looking down at him. A little amusement and a _lot_ of love.

"I love this picture," Shuri said. "It is obvious he really cares for you. And – unlike many of the Wakandan men – he does not even try to hide it."

"Yeah," Peter nodded his agreement, not at all self-conscious about being in the cross-hairs of so much love. "I think he does that to bolster my confidence. So there's never any doubt how he feels, you know?"

"Yes." She looked like she might have said more, but a bird moved overhead, catching his attention. "That is an Ibis. They are greatly prized for bringing luck. An old tale says that an Ibis is the bird responsible for bringing Vibranium to Wakanda."

"Oh?"

Shuri shrugged.

"We know better, now, of course, but tales can be fun, too."

"What all can Vibranium do?" Peter asked, curiously. "I mean, I know you made my polymorph with it, and it's flexible, but I haven't experimented with the metal in it – I didn't want to mess up to the nanotech or anything."

"It's incredibly versatile," she told him, moving once more, now. "For one thing; it enriches the soil. Plants grow better and healthier where there are any traces of it. Animals, also. When mined and used as metal, it is as strong as steel, and a third the weight. It has a few interesting innate properties. Come, I will show you an example that might interest you."

They went to her lab, then, and Peter looked around, amazed. Not only was it large and airy, but the tech was easily on par with what they had in the compound – and honestly, looked even more impressive.

"Wow."

She preened.

"My brother allows me free rein to do whatever experiments I desire." She led him to what looked like a table, but when she swiped her hand over it, a holographic image came up. Peter recognized it as Wakanda, itself. There were colors separating water, and land, then also delineating grasslands from forests and plains; also he saw a dark gray that was mostly under the ground – but was everywhere. "The gray is vibranium deposits. In its raw form. If I showed you where all vibranium was in Wakanda processed and otherwise, the entire city and much of the landscape would also be gray."

"So it really _is_ everywhere."

"Much as concrete and steel are used for your infrastructure, vibranium is used here. Although we also use regular building supplies for our cities – they are just augmented with vibranium."

Peter nodded his understanding.

"No wonder you didn't mind making my polymorph out of it. You guys have so much."

"It is our greatest resource."

He smiled.

"I'd say _you_ are Wakanda's greatest resource."

That made her blush with pleasure at the praise, and Peter's smile turned into a grin, pleased that he'd made her smile. She was far more lighthearted in nature than he was – and he knew it – but it was good to see her smile like that.

And besides, he meant it.

"Let me show you something," she said, moving over to a human shaped stand that had a piece of fabric on it, looking like some kind of tunic. "Come here."

He walked over, and she picked up the fabric and draped it over his shoulder. To Peter's surprise, it moved on him, like the polymorph did, until it was covering his entire upper torso, arms and even his hands. He looked down at it, and realized that it wasn't fabric, at all.

"This is like Tony's Ironman suit. Nanotech forming the needed shape?"

"Yes. Impervious to many forms of attack, and even better – using the vibranium instead of the metals Tony uses allows the properties of the vibranium to be manipulated." Shuri picked up a heavy stick and brandished it at Peter with a challenging gleam in her expression. "Do you trust me?"

He nodded.

"Sure."

She swung the stick at him, and he forced his reflexes to hold still, not dodging – even though he could. The blow landed against his shoulder, but he only knew it because he saw it. He didn't feel any impact, and stared.

"It absorbs the impact," Shuri explained. "The vibration. I could beat on you until the stick breaks, and you would not feel a thing or have any bruises."

"That's incredible."

Once again she smiled that proud smile.

"Now you understand some of why it is so prized."

"Yeah. Do all of T'Challa's guards have this?"

"It isn't completely integrated into their uniforms, no. The nanotech is complex and requires a mental connection. Similar to what Tony has in his suit with his AI, from what I understand from my discussions with him. "Not everyone is capable of interacting so seamlessly with an AI like he can. So it won't work for them all. They use it other ways."

"It's still really impressive."

"Let me show you more."

They spent several hours in her lab, and she showed him a few of the current projects that she was working on. Peter had already known that she was brilliant, but the lab and the tech and her ability to understand it all so easily only cemented that observation of his. By the time his watch chimed at him, and Tony called to see if they were ready for lunch, he had to wonder just how amazing would it be if Tony's Ironman suit was made of vibranium, instead of its current properties? Or, also interesting; if his Spiderman suit was made of it, would it be flexible enough for him to actually be able to swing through the city in it? Or would it hold him back? Obviously, he couldn't really ask her – and even if she knew his alter-ego, if he mentioned it, she might think that he was trying to get her to make him a suit of it – and he wasn't certain that he really needed anything that incredible for the little crime-fighting he did in his spare time.

But it was interesting to think of.

"We are having lunch in the same room we broke our fast this morning," Shuri told him as they left her lab. "Then you will be given a chance to get some more rest before dinner. You should take advantage of it, Peter," she told him. "Tonight the tribes will be reenacting hunts, and some of their traditional stories – complete with ceremonial garb, just like we were discussing. You will not want to miss it. It is very exciting."

"It sounds great," he assured her. "I'll make sure to be wide awake, this time."

They spoke of other things as they walked through the broad, airy hallways, and Peter recognized the different designs on the walls leading to the door of the room that they'd had breakfast in. Shuri winked and took his hand just before they walked through it, looking as casual as if they'd been holding hands all the way from her lab. Peter saw that T'Challa and Tony both noticed, immediately, and he forced himself not to grin at the way the two men were still trying to decide what – if _anything_ – was going on between the two teens.

He let her go so that she could go sit with T'Challa, and Peter took the empty spot between Tony and Pepper, both of them greeting him with a touch of some kind as well as a verbal hello.

"Are you hungry?" Tony asked.

Peter knew he was going to use that as a gauge to check on how he was feeling, and wasn't surprised when the billionaire's hand went to his forehead, briefly. He didn't mind; it was another one of those ways that Tony told him he loved him. He was always checking on him.

"Yeah. Starving."

"You saw Shuri's workroom?"

"It's amazing," Peter told him. "You've got to check it out."

"I plan to." He smiled at the girl, who looked pleased at the praise. "I hear the things coming out of that room are pure magic."

Shuri hid her blush as well as she could.

"It is simply ingenuity and know-how coupled with technology, Tony," she told him. "Everyone knows that there is no such thing as _magic_."


	53. Chapter 53

Tony didn't argue with her – even though he was pretty sure that he remembered having that exact conversation with her – right after Stephen's cloak had slapped her hand away when she'd been checking on Peter. Instead, he exchanged a look with the boy, and then with his wife, who was smiling at the statement and clearly waiting to see if there was going to be a discussion to the contrary. True, Stephen wasn't there to give a demonstration, but Peter had proven on more than one occasion that he was more than capable of representing the magical community – even though he wasn't, by any means, an official member of it.

He did, however, decide to test her mettle just a little.

"What about the Bifrost?" he asked. "The bridge Thor uses to get himself from point A to point B? Wouldn't you say there's _magic_ in that? Instant transportation isn't a tech we have – short of a _Star Trek_ episode."

She shrugged.

"Thor's people are much more advanced than ours – they have been around much longer from what I understand. Extreme technology might _look_ like magic, but it is not. If I showed my cell phone to a Neanderthal, he would almost certainly believe me to be a god, or a witch or some sort. But I am not."

"You most certainly are not a god," T'Challa agreed. "A _witch_…? That remains to be discussed."

Peter chuckled at the way Shuri rolled her eyes, clearly amused by her brother's teasing – and obviously used to it. Before he could say anything, or Shuri could pop up a rejoinder of her own, they were interrupted with the arrival of several servers, who were carrying massive trays of food. Platters of meats, cheeses, breads and several side dishes that Peter didn't recognize.

"We generally eat our heaviest meal at mid-day, Peter," T'Challa explained, as they were served. "Lighter meals in the evening to keep a full stomach from making us lethargic."

"That makes sense." Peter didn't mind.

As a matter of fact, he approved, completely. At least, he did, _just then_. He hadn't been lying when he'd said that he was hungry. He didn't know what all of it was they were putting in front of him, but it smelled great.

"We're going to have a little down time after lunch," Tony told Peter, in case he hadn't been told. "There's a presentation of some of the tribes' more traditional dances and visual story-telling this evening, and we want to make sure you're awaken enough to enjoy it."

"We saw some of it when we arrived," Pepper added. "It's very impressive."

"Yeah. Shuri told me. It sounds like fun."

The conversation over the meal was relaxed. T'Challa wanted to know more about the lessons that Peter had been getting with the spear the boy had won from him in the chess match, and Tony wanted to know more about Shuri's workroom, so Peter was finding that his conversations were a mixed bag. T'Challa knew who Wong was, of course, but he'd been introduced as a librarian, and it certainly didn't sound like that was the case.

Peter let Shuri take the conversation with Tony, and he focused on T'Challa for the moment, explaining in between bites of his meal that Wong could be described as something like the martial monks of Tibet, or something. Definitely a scholar – and he probably knew more about pretty much anything than anyone Peter had ever met – which was saying something considering the folks that he lived with.

"If he can teach you so well in only the short amount of time since you were introduced to the weapon, then he is, indeed, a master," the young king said, approvingly. "I should contact him and offer him a job as an instructor here."

The boy smiled.

"I bet he'd love to come and visit to look around," Peter replied. "I can pretty much guarantee that he wouldn't _stay_. He was offered a… well, I guess it was a job… as a… curator in a place in London that would have been deal. But he turned it down because he likes New York."

"A shame."

He continued his questions, though. Not just about Wong, but about everyone Peter came in contact with during his day. He knew many of the Avengers by now, of course, but he wanted to find out how Peter viewed them, and his relationship with them. He liked the boy and had only had a few moments of time to speak with him and learn more about him. This was a good chance to do just that, over a leisurely meal. Besides, it was also entertaining to hear some of the anecdotes the boy shared about what life was like living with such an interesting group of people. Including being the son of such a daunting dual personality that was Tony Stark and Ironman.

By the time the meal was finished, T'Challa was certain of a few things. Peter was an exceptionally bright young man; well mannered and far more serious by nature than his little sister was. Peter liked the challenges that came with living where he was, and Peter loved and admired Tony Stark.

"Did you enjoy your meal?" T'Challa asked, once the dishes had been cleared.

"Yes. I'm not completely sure what some of it was," he admitted. "But it was good."

"Local fare, for the most part. Per Tony's request, nothing with cinnamon or nutmeg."

Peter smiled; Tony was always looking out for that kind of thing. It wasn't annoying, though. Just another way the man proved how much he loved him. He glanced over at the man, who was dividing his attentions between conversation with Shuri and Pepper.

"Thanks. I'm not allergic to _cinnamon_, but it's close enough to nutmeg that Tony worries."

"There is nothing wrong with that," T'Challa said. "It is his job to look out for you, after all."

T'Challa had already had several conversations with Tony Stark, after all, since the man had come to Wakanda. He was well aware that the man loved Peter and was exceptionally proud of him.

"He's pretty good at it," Peter conceded. "I've been known to get myself into some interesting situations. He and Pepper get me out. With a _lot_ of help from the others."

The young king nodded, but before he could say anything more a look from Okoye reminded him that he had a busy schedule that afternoon and didn't have time to spend it all engaged in conversation. No matter how much he wanted to. Kings sometimes seemed to have less freedom than anyone, he thought, sourly.

"I am afraid my day is waiting for me," he told Peter – and the others at the table. "I will send someone for you for dinner, but please enjoy the hospitality of the palace until then."

They all got up, leaving the room in different directions as Tony, Pepper and Peter headed for their suite, while T'Challa and Shuri went the other direction with Okoye and a couple of their court members trailing behind.

"Did you enjoy your conversation with Peter, brother?" Shuri asked, amused that her brother had monopolized Peter throughout the entire meal.

"I did. He is remarkably well grounded for someone who has the potential to be spoiled beyond belief."

"What do you mean?"

"It is obvious Tony dotes on him," T'Challa said. "If he asked, I imagine the boy could have anything that he wanted."

"He would _not_ ask, however. Peter has everything that he wants."

The king of Wakanda smiled, suddenly amused.

"But what if he _did_ ask?" he said to her. "What if – for _some_ reason – he decided that he really wanted something _outlandish_. Do you think Tony would let him have it?"

"As long as it was not dangerous. I bet he would."

"Funny you should phrase it that way, little sister. I think it would be interesting to see just how far Tony would go to indulge Peter."

She gave him an odd look. One tinged with suspicion.

"What are you thinking?"

"I am thinking that sometime this evening, I am going to have another talk with Peter. Without Tony at hand."

She just shook her head, well aware that he wasn't going to tell her what he was going to talk to him about – no matter if she asked a million times. The most annoying thing about big brothers, after.

OOOOOOO

They didn't need a guide or a guard, so Tony, Pepper and Peter walked down the hall toward their suite, just the three of them. Peter was walking between them, feeling content. He was with them, he was on summer break without any worry about homework or school, and he was pleasantly filled with probably more food than had actually been good for him. Yes, he was also pretty tired, again, but that was fine, since he had every intention of taking a nap.

Tony's hand was resting comfortably on Peter's shoulder, but he was talking to Pepper.

"What's the plan for this afternoon, momma?"

"I'm going to take advantage of the time difference and get a little work done with the Asian market – just a _little_," she added quickly. "I want to make sure of a couple of projects I have in the works, and the timing is perfect for me to make a couple of calls. I'll go hide in our bedroom for a little while and join you guys when I'm done."

"Peter?"

He smiled; loving – _as always_ – that he was being included in their conversation.

"I'm going to relax so I'm more awake this evening for T'Challa's show."

"But you can do that with _me_, right?" Tony asked, making a point to let the boy know he wanted to spend time with him.

"Yeah."

Stark beamed.

They reached their quarters and Pepper kissed them both – one was a bit more heated than the other – and immediately vanished into the bedroom, door closing behind her. Peter and Tony settled on the plush sofa in the living room and Tony put his feet up on the coffee table.

"I could get used to this place, you know?" he said, putting an arm around Peter, affectionately.

"Yeah? What do you like best?"

"The people. The tech. The weather. You know we haven't been rained on once the entire time we've been here?"

"I _like_ the rain."

Stark rolled his eyes, and the arm holding him tightened into a hug.

"Yeah. But everyone knows that you're weird."

Peter chuckled and relaxed against Tony. He might normally have just gone into his room and sacked out on the bed – it was comfortable, after all. But they'd been apart for too long, really, and he needed that chance to reconnect with him. He smiled, though, when he felt the toddler inside him chortle with glee at being cuddled by daddy, and he had to bite back the word. Instead he closed his eyes, knowing Tony wouldn't care if he didn't hold a conversation just then.

"Only a little…"

Tony snorted, softly, and gathered Peter into his arms, tucking the boy's head under his chin.

"Are you going to nap?"

"I think so," came the already sleepy reply. "It's okay?"

Which Tony understood Peter was asking if he needed him to let him up so he could do something else.

"It's fine," Stark replied.

There wasn't anything else he'd rather be doing, just then.

They were silent, each simply enjoying the company of the other, and reminding themselves just how lucky they were to have found each other. The universe wasn't fair, all that often – both of them knew it, because they'd learned it the hard way – but this time it was. And they were grateful.

Peter eventually fell asleep, and by the time Pepper came out of the bedroom after her calls were made, Tony was asleep, as well. She smiled and left them to their nap, figuring she'd get a little more work done since neither of them needed her, just then.

They had each other.

OOOOO

_A/N: just a little cuddle/daddy and me time because I wanted to put some fluff out there. Thank you for allowing me to indulge myself._


	54. Chapter 54

Tony was still holding Peter when the boy woke from his nap a few hours later. Now, though, Pepper was on the sofa with them. She was on the other side of Tony speaking softly and sipping a cup of coffee, simply enjoying some down time with the people she loved most. Both of them smiled when the boy in Tony's arms stirred, finally, and sat up, looking around, owlishly, as his still sleepy mind reminded him where he was and who he was with.

"How was the nap?" Tony asked, his hand sliding along Peter's forehead, automatically.

"Good. Did I miss anything?"

"Nope. We were just told dinner's going to be in about an hour. We thought, if you woke up before then, that we might go look around the palace a little. Interested?"

"_All_ of us?" he asked, looking at Pepper, specifically, wondering if she'd finished the calls she'd been planning.

She nodded, pleased and touched that he actively sought her company. Not all teens would want to hang out with their mom, after all, especially when there was an exotic African princess with a room filled with high end technology that he could be spending time with instead.

"Yes. If you don't mind?"

"It's better that way," Peter said, still sleepy enough to not make complete sense.

They left the room a few minutes later, fully aware that the palace security would know exactly where they were when it came time to find them for dinner.

OOOOOO

It wasn't something that he wanted to admit, but Alex Zihov had run into a wall. A large solid wall that had the name of Spiderman written all over it. When Joel had asked him to find out who the Spiderman was, it hadn't seemed like it would be that big of a deal. After all, social media being what it was, tracking someone down was almost always a snap. Even people who wanted to remain anonymous. People were crazy stupid, Zihov knew, and would put their information out on the web without thinking twice about it. He used that to his advantage all the time when it came to gathering information.

The problem was, this time it hadn't been that easy. Not only did this Spiderman guy have absolutely no social media interaction – even under the pseudonym – but the videos that others had taken of him and posted didn't give anything away, either. Which was unusual, Zihov knew. There was always something there to give something away. A little piece of information. A tiny crack in the wall of silence that would lead to something a little bigger, until there was finally a break in the dam that allowed the searcher to find what they were looking for.

There were a few videos that were posted by conspiracy fanatics or teenagers with nothing but time on their hands. These folks were saying that they knew who Spiderman was, and gave long, drawn out and incredibly complicated proofs that Alex didn't even need to check to know they were nothing but a load of shit. Not even worth checking out, really – although he did put one of his guys on the videos, just to be sure. He was nothing if not thorough, after all.

In this instance, Spiderman wasn't assailable. There were some blank spots that may have _once_ held videos, but which had been deleted – at whatever source so the information man couldn't find the original video to see what had been erased. Couldn't see what it was that those who had erased or deleted the video hadn't wanted people to see. Nothing with Spiderman's voice, or anything too close-up that might give any indication of who he was – or even any duplicating location scenes that might tell him where to look for the guy in person.

It was frustrating. But he wasn't done, yet. This one was a tougher nut than most, but Alex was an expert. He had other resources than the internet, after all. The internet just cost less. He made a few comments in the right ears, spent a little money, and promised a _lot_ more. Then he sat back to wait for the information to roll in.

OOOOOO

"Agent Romanoff…"

Natasha looked over at Fury, who had entered the lounge and made a beeline for the table she was sitting at with Clint and Steve.

"Director."

"Peter's safely delivered?"

"Yes. He was very happy to see Tony and Pepper."

Fury nodded.

"Good. He'll be gone two weeks?"

"Right."

"Good."

"What's up?" she asked, aware that his expression – which harder to read than someone without an eye patch – was a little more serious than the conversation so far warranted.

"Let me ask you this; you know who Alexandre Zihov is?"

"Yes."

"One of my SHIELD agents just contacted me. One of his guys has a contact who is trying to find out anything and everything about Spiderman – and all signs are saying it's Zihov who wants the information."

"Any idea why?"

"You know who Zihov works for."

"Yes."

"Then your guess is as good as mine. I thought you'd be interested."

"I'll take care of it."

"See that you do. Let me know if you need anything – or any_one_."

Steve looked over at Natasha as Fury walked away.

"What was that all about?" he asked Natasha, who looked suddenly expressionless – which meant she was either really worried, or really mad.

"Joel King is trying to find Peter."

OOOOOOO

As T'Challa had promised, dinner was a much lighter affair than lunch had been – although the food had been really good. They were seated in a similar manner as they had been the evening before, and helpful attendants were offering him and those sitting with him various food and drinks, always polite, always smiling and clearly enjoying the chance to serve the visitors.

The room was filled with all sorts of people in various states of dress. Most were in ceremonial garb, as they were participants in the storytelling, or the dances or the reenactments of the various tribes. Those who were not performing, were standing at the periphery of the room, watching those who were – or watching T'Challa and Shuri interacting with their guests. Everyone was having a very good time, and the visitors were smiling and laughing with the king and the princess.

The palace guards and the king's guard were a solid presence, making sure that no one did anything that might need to be corrected. There were a lot of ceremonial weapons in the room, after all, and a king present. Okoye scanned the room constantly from her position beside T'Challa and was constantly in communication with the others, watching for anything out of the ordinary, but everyone was well behaved, stepping up to the dais in between performances to have a few words with T'Challa, Shuri or the visitors from America. A few others – chieftains and tribal elders were there, as well, representing their tribes as they performed, or explaining to the visitors the story that each performance was telling.

Peter was having a great time. He was sitting between Shuri and Tony. Shuri would lean over, occasionally, to point out a costume to Peter, or a symbolism in the costume – or someone that she knew personally who was performing. He would pass that information onto to Tony, who would tell Pepper – if she hadn't already been told by T'Challa, who was seated next to her.

When a large group of young men started a dance that included a lot of stomping, and chanting and spears not at all similar to the one Peter owned, Shuri leaned over once more, placing her hand over Peter's.

"You will like this one," she told him. "They will be reenacting an ancient legend of the Jabari tribe. A pure white lion who is said to have come from the gods and was sent to teach their greatest of all warriors how to hunt."

"Are there white lions?" Peter asked, curiously.

"Rarely one will be born. They are considered good luck – sometimes sacred, depending on the tribe."

They stopped talking, then, to watch the men dance and wave their spears, and Peter was amazed at how well the dancers coordinated themselves and their movements. It was mesmerizing, and he was glad that he'd slept earlier. This was something to see and he would have hated to miss it.

OOOOOO

"See that one? The young one without the hair on his chin."

The young boy followed the finger of the young tribal noble.

"The one next to the princess, my lord?"

"That is the one. He is thirsty and asked for a drink. Offer him this."

The boy was handed a small porcelain cup. He looked into it and thought it might hold tea. He didn't ask, though. He was a server – well, still in _training_, but getting pretty good at it. Servers didn't ask what they were serving. They didn't need to know. That was the responsibility of the cooks and the kitchen helpers.

"Yes, my lord."

Azoru watched as the boy walked over to the dais and bowed low to the princess and then to the boy sitting beside her. He saw Peter smile at the boy and take the offered cup, looking into it and smelling it, but not hesitating to drink it down in a couple of gulps.

The young Jabari noble smiled. The tea was pleasant tasting; he knew, because he'd had it before. Of course, the herb that he'd added to it after it steeped wasn't one that he'd dared to try, himself – although he knew that many of the tribal shaman and elders had. It was used for the rarest of ceremonies and was ultra-rare in its own right. It was mind-altering, and a powerful stimulant, but it wouldn't hurt the boy Peter. Only make him do something that would certainly make him look foolish.

Azoru didn't want a death that would certainly cause a diplomatic incident – and would make Wakanda look as back watered as the world thought they already were. He just wanted Shuri to recognize how ridiculous it was to even consider the American as a potential partner, when there were plenty of Wakandan nobles – _himself_ especially – that were perfect for her.

He only wished he'd be around the next day when the herb started to take effect. It should be far more interesting a performance than the one they were watching, now.


	55. Chapter 55

The entertainment went late into the evening. Once the performances were completed and everyone had been presented to the visitors, there was a lot of mingling. It reminded Peter of the time they were on Asgard and had met the acting troupe – although this time he was pretty sure he wasn't going to have to worry about any of the women groping him. Tony clearly was thinking the same thing, at one point, because he walked up to stand beside Peter – who had Shuri beside him.

"Watch who you're talking to, Kirk," he said, with a grin. "We don't have Natasha here to keep you out of trouble."

The boy smiled, and blushed just a little, and Stark smirked and walked off to join T'Challa, who had a couple of people who wanted to meet him, as well.

"Why did Tony call you Kirk?" Shuri asked, curiously, as a handful of warriors walked up to her and bowed to her, looking at Peter with interest.

"It's a nickname," Peter said, unwilling to explain, just then. "He thinks he's being _funny_."

"Ah."

She clearly didn't understand, but she knew if she asked later, he would explain it to her. At the moment, however, there were people to introduce him to, and a lot more than there had been the evening before. Word of the match between Peter and Okoye had clearly spread, and many people wanted to meet the boy and take his measure.

OOOOOOO

By the time the party started to break up, Peter had to admit that he was definitely ready to call it a night. He said good night to T'Challa and Shuri, and was told that they were going to go out into the countryside and find his baby zebra after breakfast the next morning, so he should dress appropriately. Peter wasn't completely sure what that entailed, but he assumed jeans and a long-sleeved shirt would suffice.

"Did you have fun?" Pepper asked him as the three walked back to their quarters.

"It was a _lot_ of fun," Peter told her, sincerely. "You?"

"Yes. I really enjoy these people. They're open, and friendly."

"It must be insane to try and rule a land as diverse as these folks are," Tony said, shaking his head. "T'Challa is an amazing young man."

"And you like him," Pepper added.

"Absolutely." He looked over at Peter, who was walking on the other side of Pepper. "Are you going to call and check in with Natasha?"

"Yeah. And Stephen, to see how Nutmeg is behaving."

"He's a _cat_. Chances are he isn't behaving at all."

Peter smiled, and shrugged as they walked into the living room of their suite.

"Most likely."

He hesitated, thinking that after clinging to him all morning, Tony might be hugged out for the day, but was pleased when he found himself pulled into a warm embrace, his head ticked under his dad's chin. Peter smiled, and wrapped his arms around him, hugging him close.

"We'll see you in the morning, alright?"

"Yeah."

Tony let him go and Pepper hugged him, too. Once again, he felt just a little bit of a tug from the toddler, but he was awake enough to suppress it – which was a good thing, because the little guy was looking for some groping of his own, and Peter wasn't having any of that.

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, mom."

"Tell everyone we said hello."

He let Pepper go and stepped back, nodding, and then watched them head into their room and he walked into his, feeling a sudden burst of energy that surprised him. A minute ago, he was more than ready for bed.

OOOOOO

"_You look like you're having a good time."_

Peter smiled.

"I _am_. How was the flight home?"

"_Lonely without you."_

"You had Stephen."

"_He played chess with Steve the whole way back. Except for when they were sleeping. Watching your boyfriend sleep isn't the best way to pass a long, boring, flight."_

"Well, look on the bright side; I'll be on it again the next time you're heading home from Wakanda – and I promise I won't fall asleep on you."

"_Good. Stephen told me that if you checked in with me, not to bother checking in with _him_. He's going to be here tonight for dinner, and Nutmeg is doing fine and being a real jerk."_

Peter grinned.

"Thanks, Natasha."

"_You're welcome, baby."_ She smiled at his image on the display. _"I miss you."_

"I miss you, too."

"_Goodnight."_

The call ended, and Peter set his phone on the stand by his bed. He changed into sweats and a t-shirt and went to bed, but found himself staring up at the ceiling, his mind not relaxing enough to allow him to sleep. He forced his eyes closed, and took deep breaths like Wong had showed him when the man had tried to teach him to relax and mediate. It didn't work, though. He tried counting sheep, but reached one hundred and ten before he started wondering just where they were escaping to, and decided to round them up and have them all hop back over the fence to avoid one of them getting hurt.

It didn't put him to sleep. It didn't even make him _tired_. He opened his eyes with a sigh, deciding that maybe he just needed to do something active. The toddler reared his little head in the back of his mind, silently urging Peter to go cuddle with Tony and Pepper. _He_ loved nothing more than to be held by those two and it was hard to resist that part of him when he popped up. He stared up at the ceiling thinking about _that_ for a little while, too.

Strange had speculated that the more time that went by, the less influence the toddler would have, since he would end up melting back into Peter's subconscious until he was eventually just a part of it. The little guy was a lot tougher than that, though – or maybe more stubborn. He kept hanging on, keeping Peter company – or _maybe_, Peter admitted, to himself – he just didn't want to allow the little guy to escape him. He had a lot of the memories that the toddler did, and they were _good_ ones. Filled with love and caring. Of being held by the others, which was a bit embarrassing to teenaged Peter, but had been wonderful for the little guy.

The more he thought of him, the more he wanted to go find Tony and Pepper, so Peter got out of bed, restless, and left his room, entirely, walking silently through the mostly dark living room of the suite and opening the door, hoping to find one of the palace guards standing there – and he did.

The guards weren't there to keep the visitors in, of course. They were there to protect them. And in case they needed something in the middle of the night. This would avoid their important guests finding themselves wandering the palace, lost in the middle of the night, looking for a glass of water or something.

The woman looked over when the door opened, and Peter stepped out, closing it softly behind him.

"Hey… um… I don't suppose you have an extra _spear_ I could borrow?" he asked, gesturing toward the one she was holding.

A little workout with the weapon might be just the thing to calm his restlessness, after all. He didn't want to spar with anyone else, but he had several moves that he knew he could always use the practice to perfect.

The woman frowned, but she wasn't going to ask what he needed it for. What they did in their own quarters was none of the Wakandans business, and she was far too well trained to stick her nose into it. She made a soft comment into her communications device, and then looked at the boy, kindly.

"It will be a moment."

He smiled, and her stern visage softened at the expression.

"Thanks."

He waited with her, but they didn't speak. He'd seen the movies where the guards had to be stony and quiet when working, and he didn't want to annoy her. Instead, he tapped his foot, unable to completely hold still, and slapped his palms against his stomach, making a rhythm against his t-shirt that she wouldn't have recognized no matter what part of the world she was from. It was the song the cloak sang into Peter's mind when he was alone with it and it was trying to lull him to sleep. Peter wasn't even really aware that he was doing it.

He didn't reach more than the second refrain, and was getting ready to start again, when another guard came walking up, holding her own spear and carrying another tucked under her arm. She handed it to Peter, who took it with another smile.

"Thank you, very much."

The guard responded with a smile, as well, and Peter ducked back into the suite with his prize, closing the door and going to his room.

OOOOOOO

Tony woke with a bit of a start. He frowned, looking up at the ceiling, wondering if he'd had a bad dream, or too many pieces of the coconut cake that had been passed out so lavishly during the evening's entertainment. Neither seemed to be the case, really; he felt fine, and he didn't remember anything that might have been upsetting.

He was awake, though, and since he _was_, he slipped quietly out of bed, responding to what was almost a habit of his, now, to check on Peter. At home, that was simple. He'd go into the other room – to avoid disturbing Pepper – and would ask Friday to check with Karen to make sure he didn't need anything. Once he was assured the boy was asleep, Tony would go back to bed.

He couldn't do that in Wakanda, though. Instead, he left their bedroom and walked across the living room to Peter's bedroom, and quietly opened the door, expecting to find the boy asleep and resting. He was surprised, then, when he found that Peter had moved his bed up against the far wall, creating a large space in the center of the room and was working out with one of those spear, twirling it in his hands at dizzying speeds, turning his body and ducking and jumping at various intervals.

Stark frowned; it looked like he'd been at it for a while.

"What are you doing?"

Peter stopped in mid swing, almost too quickly, since he had to move his head to avoid the sharp end of the spear as it came near his face. He looked over at the door, and Tony saw that he'd startled him.

"Oh. Hey. Nothing," Peter told him, looking a little chagrined. "I was just… you know, getting in a little practice."

"It's the middle of the night," Tony told him, walking over, suddenly concerned that something was bothering the boy.

Stark tended to look for something to do when _he_ couldn't sleep. This certainly looked like one of those kind of situations for Peter.

"Yeah. I know. I was just a little restless."

"_Spiderman_ restless?" Tony asked, wondering how that would work.

It wasn't as long of a jump with the teleporting stone as a trip to Asgard, but it was still further than just popping into the city from the compound, and he didn't want Peter to risk tiring himself out. Not to mention wanting to keep his head down for a while with the whole Russian mafia thing that had happened.

To his relief, Peter shook his head.

"No. I don't think so. Too much food, maybe? Or probably just all those hunting and dancing warriors wound me up a little."

"Well, let's _unwind_ you, okay?" Tony said, reaching over and taking the spear from him, and then leaning it against the wall. "I don't want you grumpy and tired tomorrow."

"I'm okay."

"I know." Stark put a hand on Peter's shoulder and steered him to the bed. The boy wasn't even sweating, and who knew how long he'd been messing with that spear? "Come on. It's bedtime, sunshine."

He pulled the blankets back, and pointedly waited for Peter to get into the bed. The boy rolled his eyes, resigned, and allowed himself to be tucked into bed. Tony sat down on the edge of the bed, smiling gently down at him. At his son. And he brushed his hand against the boy's forehead, automatically. He was a little warm from his workout, but nothing that should keep him awake.

"Go to sleep, Peter."

"I'm not really tired…"

Tony shook his head, and settled himself beside the boy, propped up with a couple of pillows, deciding that this was probably one of those dad moments that he didn't have enough of – and probably wouldn't get too many more in the future. Almost automatically, Peter turned and tucked his face against his side, an arm coming around him to cuddle him close. Tony realized that Peter needed these moments as much as _he_ did, really, and felt a great rush of love go through him at the thought.

"I'm not going to tell you a _story_…" he murmured, his own arm coming around the boy and holding him.

Peter chuckled, and closed his eyes, feeling himself relaxing just from being close to Tony.

"Okay."

He didn't need a story. The cuddling allowed him a chance to focus, and he found that it really did help him relax. Much more than counting sheep, or working out. He sighed, and eventually went to sleep.

Tony held Peter until he was sure he was asleep, and then slipped out of his bed, and left the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him. He walked back to his own room and tried to get back into bed without waking Pepper. He thought he had, until her voice broke into the silent darkness of the room.

"Is he alright?"

He smiled; how well she knew him.

"Yeah, Pep. He's fine. Was just a little restless."

"Is he still?"

"No. He's asleep."

"Good job, daddy."

Tony's smile grew, and he shifted enough to kiss her, before settling back to get a couple of more hours of rest. They were going to go find that baby zebra, the next day, and he wanted to be awake for it.


	56. Chapter 56

The next morning Peter was awake long before the others. He didn't wake slowly, either. It seemed that one minute he was asleep and the next he was wide awake, looking at the ceiling. He rolled out of bed, remembering what T'Challa had said about them going to look for the zebras – and who knew what _else_ they might find? It was pretty exciting to think about. He wondered if there were giraffes out there, too. That'd probably be something to see. Feeling a thrill run through him, Peter grabbed some clean clothes and headed for the bathroom to take a shower, feeling just a little warm, and a little gritty.

The water in the shower felt amazing, and he spent a long time under the spray. When he finally forced himself out, he dried off and dressed, and still no one was awake when he entered the living area of the suite. Not wanting to bother anyone, Peter went into his room, again, and picked up the polymorph. He was looking at it from the standpoint of the vibranium shirt that Shuri had shown him the day before.

"Sleeve," he said, palming the thing.

A moment later it made itself into just that; a sleeve that he put on – almost like a falconer's glove, only it went up past his elbow. It was lightweight and flexible. Peter went over and picked up the spear, bringing it back to sit on the bed. The spear head was the same color as the vibranium sleeve he was wearing, and he wondered if the one would cancel out the other.

He spent the next half hour trying to stab himself in the arm with the spear – only to find that it wasn't going to pierce the sleeve, and he never once felt any kind of force from the attempt, no matter how hard he poked the sleeve.

"What are you _doing_?"

He looked up and saw Pepper standing at his door, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.

"Trying to stab my arm."

She frowned, walking over to the bed.

"Why would you do that?"

He held up the arm with the sleeve on it and the spear.

"They're both _vibranium_," he explained. "I wanted to see if a vibranium tipped spear could pierce vibranium armor."

"Maybe you could try it with something less _pointy_?"

Peter grinned and made a command that brought the polymorph back to its original square block shape, and he set it on the stand by his bed, leaning the spear against the same stand.

"It's safe, mom. The sleeve won."

She smiled at him calling her mom – like she always did. It was still very new for both of them, after all.

"You've been up a while?"

"Yeah."

"Are you feeling alright?" Pepper asked, reaching out to run her hand along his forehead and then down his cheek and jaw.

Peter held himself still, but his eyes were unfathomable as he watched her. The maternal gesture making him and the toddler both silently scream in pure happiness.

"Yeah. Just not very sleepy, I guess. Probably because I napped yesterday. How did you sleep?"

"You're a little warm."

Pepper didn't check on him quite as often as Tony did – _no one_ did – but they were both always hyper-alert for any changes in his health.

"I feel good," he assured her with a smile. "I took a shower, so that could be why."

She accepted that. His eyes were bright and happy and there wasn't any indication of sweating or discomfort that would accompany any serious fever, she knew.

"We're going to be going out to look for the zebra," she reminded him. "Make sure you take sunscreen."

"I will."

"And a _hat_."

Peter smiled.

"I didn't _bring_ a hat."

"We'll borrow one, or something."

His skin was as delicate as her own, and she'd been burned badly by the hot African sun. She'd make sure he didn't have that same problem, if they could avoid it.

"Okay."

Pepper got up, and so did he.

"I'm going to go get my day started. Need anything?"

"Sunscreen and a hat."

That made her smile, as he'd known it would, and she hugged him, spontaneously.

"I'll see what I can do."

"I'm going to go look around a while," Peter said when she'd released him. "Okay?"

"I don't see why not. Just stay out of trouble."

_"Me?"_ he gave her an innocent look that made both of them smile. "Always."

They left his bedroom together and she watched as he left the suite – just as Tony came out of the bathroom, still damp, and dressed in jeans and a button down shirt.

"Where's he going?" Tony asked, curiously.

"He's going to go look around a bit."

Tony debated whether or not to call Peter back and go with him while Pepper was getting her own shower, but decided not to. He was a teenager, after all, and could probably look around the palace for the hour or so before breakfast without getting into too much trouble. Besides, there were guards everywhere to keep him from getting lost, and he knew if he needed anything, Tony was just a call away.

OOOOOO

There was a different guard outside their door when Peter left the suite. He greeted her with a cheerful smile and casually mentioned that he was just going to go look around, figuring it would give her the chance to tell him if they didn't want him doing that – and to let her know so that she could advise the other security people that he was going to be roaming the hallways of the palace. No sense startling anyone, after all.

He went the opposite direction than they used when going to the center of the building, and had a good time looking at the intricate designs on the walls of the halls. There were alcoves at regular intervals that all held displays and all of them were worth stopping and looking at. Peter saw figurines that were clearly ancient – or at least intended to _look_ ancient – and pottery, some jewels or jewelry, and weapons of all sorts. Knives, spears, daggers with vibranium handles or blades, and bows that were as tall as he was. Intrigued by all of it and wishing that Shuri was there to play tour guide for him, he took his time looking at it all.

There was an odd rush of adrenaline going through him, he realized, even as he stopped to look at a painting on the wall. It was a large, black cat – a _panther_, his mind nudged. Beautiful, of course, and well descripted in the painting, it was standing on a high ledge, overlooking what Peter assumed was the entire country of Wakanda, from the mountains, to the plains and even the city in the distance. Peter admired it for a long moment, but eventually moved on, too edgy to stand still any longer.

He saw sunlight and realized that he was near one of the outer walls of the building. A short walk and he soon found himself at a door that opened out into a balcony. He tried the door, and found it unlocked, so he went outside. The day was just beginning, and the sun was shining down on him as he leaned over to look down. _Way_ down. Not only was he on one of the upper levels of the palace, but this part of the building was on a cliff of some sort and he was hundreds of feet up – maybe even a _thousand_ – and he could see for miles around.

A thought struck him as he looked down, and he wondered if he jumped off the ledge just how far he could fall before the onrush of air pressure took the breath out of him and made him pass out. He barely had _that_ thought flit through his mind when he wondered if he could jump from the balcony that he was on and shoot a web to the next building over. It was a fair distance, and almost certainly out of the reach of his web shooter, but it was worth a try, just to see. He didn't even consider the drop that would ensue if he missed. An odd recklessness was keeping that a distant concern.

Peter was suddenly very much convinced that nothing could hurt him. He grinned, excitedly, and activated the web shooters on both of his wrists. He was the son of _Ironman_, after all. Tony could fly. Why couldn't _he_? He stepped up and put a hand on the rail, tensed and ready to leap off.

"You _have_ to be Peter."

Startled from his inner thoughts, the boy turned and saw that he had been joined by a woman. An older woman, who was very pretty and regal-looking, even though she was dressed casually – for the Wakandans. Her eyes were warm and wise, and he smiled when he realized that he knew who she was, all thoughts of seeing how far he could fly suddenly pushed aside at the chance encounter.

"You're _Shuri's_ mom."

The woman smiled.

"And _T'Challa's_."

"Yeah." He stepped forward and to her surprise, he hugged her, warmly. "I'm happy to meet you."

Bemused by the less than formal greeting, she hugged him for a moment – an automatic maternal gesture that she couldn't have suppressed even if she'd tried. He suddenly blushed, realizing what he was doing – and who he was _doing_ it _to_ – and stepped back, wondering what in the world he was thinking.

"Sorry."

The apology was greeted with a smile.

"I am happy to meet you, as well, Peter. Shuri has told me much about you – and I am more grateful than you could ever know for what you did for her when Gerard Poole attempted to harm her."

"Oh." Now he blushed, again, for a different reason. "Yeah. It was… well, not my pleasure, because it wasn't _fun_… but I'm glad she wasn't hurt."

"As am I." The woman reached out and touched his cheek before she realized what _she_ was doing, suddenly struck by the realization that she owed the boy a debt that she could never repay. "Are you enjoying your visit?" she asked, taking her hand back before she could make him uncomfortable with the gesture.

Boys didn't like to be made much of, she knew from experience.

Peter nodded.

"Yes… um... your _majesty_?"

He wasn't completely certain of how to address her, and she chuckled.

"No," she corrected him, gently. "My Lady. Or Highness. You, however, may call me _Ramonda_."

"Thank you." He grinned, and had to force himself not to hug her, again. "From what I've seen, your country is beautiful. T'Challa and Shuri are taking me out to look for a zebra today."

"There are _many_."

"Yeah, but Pepper – my _mom_ – she found a _baby_ one, and they've been keeping track of him so I could see him when I came. So we're going to look for him. And hopefully we'll see other animals, too."

"I am certain-"

She was interrupted by Peter's watch, which chimed an alert at him. With an apologetic look, the boy touched the communications button and Tony's voice came over the line, loud enough for both of them to hear.

"_Hey, Peter? Come join us at the breakfast room, will you? It's almost time to eat, and T'Challa says his mother's back, and he wants you to meet her."_

The boy smiled at Ramonda, who also saw the humor in the situation, and raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to reply.

"I'll be right there," he promised.

"_Need us to send someone your way to show you where it is?"_

Now the woman smiled, as well, and Peter shook his head, even though Tony couldn't see it.

"No. I'm pretty sure I can find you guys. Thanks."

"_Don't dawdle."_

"I won't."

The line went dead, and Ramonda offered Peter her arm.

"It sounds as if it is time to eat, Peter. You do not mind escorting me?"

"No. Not at all."

He tucked her arm under his, cheerfully, releasing the web shooters back into their casings as he did so, and walked with her back into the hall, where he saw two of the palace guards waiting for her. As they turned back the way he had come, he felt giddy, certain that the day was going to be a good one.


	57. Chapter 57

They caused a bit of a stir when they entered the room – not surprisingly. Peter released Ramonda's arm when T'Challa walked over to meet them at the door, offering his mother a kiss on the cheek and then taking her from the boy.

"I see you have already met Peter."

She smiled at her son, and at the boy, as they crossed the room to join the others.

"He was exploring the palace, and I noticed him on the Eastern balcony and decided to intrude on his solitude by introducing myself."

"It wasn't an intrusion," Peter assured her. "I _like_ you."

"And I like you, as well," Ramonda told him, fondly, thinking that they should probably just keep him.

Peter went to sit with Tony and Pepper, who had been talking to Shuri, but were watching him, now. He greeted all of them, cheerfully.

"Were you _really_ trying to stab yourself this morning?" Shuri asked the boy as he sat down between her and Pepper.

"I was testing the vibranium of my polymorph against the vibranium of the spear," he explained. "Turns out one isn't stronger than the other. I should have stabbed harder, maybe. It might have been the difference in the density."

"_You should have stabbed harder_?" Tony repeated, incredulously. "You shouldn't have been stabbing, at all. Next time we'll wrap it around a watermelon or something and try it against that backdrop, instead. Understand?"

Peter grinned, but nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry."

He looked around the room. T'Challa had brought his mother over to the table and she was now sitting on the other side of Shuri, able to listen in on their conversation. The Wakandan king was seated beside her, and there were the ever present functionaries and tribal folk sitting with them. Standing everywhere were palace guards and Dora Milaje, watching over the proceedings intently, and servers were starting to bring drinks; coffee for those who wanted it, and various juices for anyone else. Peter was aware of the fact that he was suddenly _very_ thirsty.

Shuri shook her head.

"It is not the density of the vibranium that kept you from doing harm to yourself. A single layer of the vibranium will stop a vibranium spear tip, because of the canceling effect of the metal. It forced the spear back before the point could pierce it."

"That makes sense."

Peter wasn't the only one listening, of course. Tony was equally interested – he just didn't like the methodology that the boy had used for his experiment.

"And it'll do that against _any_ metal?" Stark asked, curiously.

"Yes."

"What about a _bullet_?" Peter asked, not even thinking about the fact that he'd been shot in front of her – only because a bullet was the quickest piece of metal that he could think of at the moment. "Would a single layer of vibranium stop a bullet?"

Shuri hesitated. Not because she didn't know the answer, of course, but because she was reminded of how he had looked, on the floor with a pool of crimson forming under him and her hands suddenly smeared with his blood. She nodded, though.

"Yes."

"Let's change the subject," Pepper suggested, not wanting to talk about bullets. That was still a sensitive subject for _her_, too, and she hadn't missed Shuri's response. She was a little surprised that Peter had even _said_ it. He was usually a bit more sensitive to those around him. "We're still going out onto the plains, today?"

Shuri nodded.

"We _are_. The trackers know exactly where to find the zebra foal, and there are many other animals that we will be able to show you on the way. Since you and Tony have seen many of those around the retreat where you were staying, we are going to take ground skimmers and go further out once we have shown Peter the zebra. That way you can see some new ones, as well."

"Like what?" Peter asked, quickly. "_Giraffe_?"

"And water buffalo, elephants, gazelle. Many creatures," Shuri confirmed.

"And predators," Ramonda added. "There are several species of big cats to be seen. Some – such as the lions – are easy to spot. Others are shy, and will not be so easily seen."

"We will find them, though."

"I noticed that your palace decor seems to levitate toward the large cats," Pepper said. "The fountain the other night and many paintings and statues. Is there a reason for the symbolism? Or just because they are large and powerful – and beautiful?"

"It's the _black panther,"_ Peter said, reaching for a glass of juice that a server was handing him with a smile of thanks and drinking it down, quickly. "I saw one in a painting on the wall by where I met Ramonda. It's really neat. Something like that would look great in my bedroom, hanging on the wall…" he trailed off, noticing that everyone was looking at him, oddly. "Not the _original_," he told them. "I just thought I could take a picture of it and have a print made. It wouldn't cost too much."

Shuri and Ramonda weren't worried about that; they were both surprised that the boy had caught the black panther symbolism, rather than calling it a panther, or leopard or a different cat. The black panther wasn't a secret, of course, and it wasn't taboo to discuss it – even with visitors – but no one had, as far as they knew, and it seemed odd that Peter would catch on so quickly. Tony and Pepper were watching him for a different reason, entirely. He was talking really fast, and acting just odd enough that both of them were suddenly alert.

"Are you _alright_?" Pepper asked before Tony could.

"Yeah. I mean, it was just a thought. It wouldn't even need to be _framed_. I just-"

"Peter," Tony interrupted, frowning. "How much _sugar_ have you had this morning?"

"None."

"_Coffee?"_

The boy smiled, amused, when he realized what he was getting at.

"None of that, either." They both knew he didn't drink coffee. He forced himself to calm down, a little, fighting to control the surge of adrenaline rushing through him, suddenly. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just excited about seeing all the animals. It's like going to a _zoo_, you know? Only _we'll_ be the ones in the cages, and they'll be running free." He looked at Shuri. "They'll be running free, right?"

She smiled, too, putting her hand on Peter's.

"Yes. Only _we_ won't be in cages, either. We'll be in land sleds. Low to the ground and quick enough to outrun anything that might not want us too close to them. We'll make sure you are close enough to get many pictures."

"Sweet." His eyes got wide, then. "Maybe I could try driving one?"

Shuri shrugged, but it was Ramonda who replied, pleased to see he was excited. It was refreshing when compared to the stuffy dignitaries that she _normally_ dealt with.

"If it is alright with your parents."

He looked over at Tony and Pepper, and Tony shrugged, too, but he wasn't willing to say yes, immediately.

"We'll see what they look like, first, okay?"

"Yeah."

Stark frowned, still uncertain if he should be worried – which, of course, made him worried. Before he could ask the boy if he felt alright, again, the servers started bringing in their breakfast, and he was distracted by one of them offering him some toast. When he turned back to look at Peter, though, the boy was engaged in conversation with Shuri and her mother, asking once more about giraffe and water buffalo, and telling them about the wildlife that they'd seen when they'd been in Montana for his birthday.

He caught Pepper's gaze, and decided that she looked a little worried, too, but they couldn't fault him for being excited, and he looked happy and cheerful. That wasn't something to worry about. Right?


	58. Chapter 58

When breakfast was finished, most of the dignitaries that had eaten with them left, leaving the visitors to chat with T'Challa, his sister and his mother under the ever-watchful eye of Okoye and her people. T'Challa traded seats with Shuri, spending time talking to Pepper and Peter while they waited for the guides to prepare their transportation for the day – and to make sure that they would be able to find the zebra herd that held the foal that had been tagged to show to Peter.

"Is something bothering you?" Shuri asked Tony, curiously.

"What?" The billionaire turned to the princess, and shook his head. "No. I'm fine."

"Is Peter alright?" she asked. "You keep looking at him, oddly."

"He seems okay to you?"

She smiled.

"He looks _excited_."

"Yeah." Tony shrugged. "I guess. I mean, yes, he _does_. But he's…"

"_Animated_," Pepper said, joining the conversation that she hadn't been able – or willing – to pretend that she hadn't been listening in on. They all turned to the boy, who was talking to T'Challa and Ramonda about his trip to Montana and much of what it had entailed. The boy was gesturing broadly, and talking a bit faster than was his norm. "We're sure he hasn't been up all night knocking back energy drinks, or something?"

Shuri smiled at that.

"He told me that he does not like the way they make him feel. _I_ _like_ them, though. Perhaps it is an odd reaction to being jet-lagged? I understand that it can affect people differently."

"Maybe," Stark conceded.

Before they could really say much more, a page came into the room and spoke to Okoye, who, in turn, politely interrupted Peter's story about the sledding hill behind the rented house in Montana to speak softly to the young king. T'Challa cleared his throat and received everyone's attention, then advised them that their land sled was waiting, and the guides were ready for them. They all ended their conversations, and Peter hugged Ramonda warmly, kissing her cheek before springing off the raised platform that their breakfast table had been situated on and heading for the door at a trot.

The Dora Milaje looked scandalized at the behavior, but the King's mother only smiled and shook her head, clearly unconcerned by the casual contact with the boy and amused at his excitement. She told the rest of them to have fun and the group headed the same direction that Peter had, only at a much more sedate pace.

They took a transfer tube to the ground floor of the palace, and then went in a small jet from the city out to a small landing area in the countryside. Peter spent the flight looking over the shoulder of the pilots, curiously, as they flew, and T'Challa explained to them all what they would be doing so they would not be wondering what was going to happen each portion of the day.

"We will meet the guides near the river – by where you and Tony stayed," he explained, looking at Pepper. "There is a land sled to take us to see the zebras first, since Shuri originally did promise to show them to Peter when they initially met at the convention center."

The girl smiled, pleased that she was going to be able to fulfil that promise that she'd made, and couldn't wait to see Peter's reaction to the baby zebra. She'd checked in on the little creature several times, by then, and he was fuzzy and cute. Sure to get a positive reaction from her friend.

"After the zebra, we are going to go a little further afield," T'Challa continued. "We know of an elephant herd that also has a young one, and there are many water buffalo."

"And a rhino or two." Shuri said, which made Peter look over his shoulder at her.

"Really?"

"Yes. They are fairly dangerous – ill-tempered and unpredictable – but rare, even here in Wakanda. Aside from the white rhinos that were once bred for battle. They are no longer used for that purpose, however."

"A _battle_ rhino?" Peter repeated, looking interested. "_Cool_."

"The guides tell me that there may be young ones, as well," T'Challa added. "We will have to wait and see."

The boy nodded, and turned back to the controls of the jet that they were on, but when he spoke, it was obvious that he was talking to T'Challa and the others, and not the pilots.

"Thank you for bringing me."

OOOOOO

The land sleds were impressive. And not just to _Peter_. Tony and the boy walked around the one that was waiting by the landing area, practically drooling over it. Open aired, it floated a few feet off the ground while it was idling, waiting for them to all get on. T'Challa and Pepper were both waiting with Okoye on the vehicle, but Peter had asked how it hovered (was it anti gravity tech, or simply a well controlled thruster) and she had told him it was neither, which had led her to give him and Tony both a quick rundown of how they had modified the properties of vibranium to allow a form of magnetic levitation without actually having a track, simply using the earth's magnetic core.

"_That's_ impressive," Tony had muttered to himself, tapping his sunglasses and well aware Friday was recording it all.

It wasn't tech that _he_ could see a use for himself or the Avengers, at the moment, but really, he'd never found a technology that he didn't love, and knew that if given a chance, he'd pore over the stuff late into the night sometime in the future.

"It is not my own creation," Shuri admitted. "We have been using them for years – long before I was born. But I am working on improving their efficiency."

Peter crouched down to go underneath the vehicle, reaching his hand out toward the blue light that seemed to hum with energy has his hand neared it, but he jerked it back when Tony slapped his shoulder.

"Hey. What are you _doing_?"

"It feels weird," he told Stark, who had used his grip on the shoulder of his shirt to pull him out from under the sled. "Like magic, almost – but not quite."

"It's probably not a good idea to _touch_ it, though. Okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Are you feeling alright?" Tony asked, running his hand along the boy's forehead – again. "You're a little warm."

"No. Yeah, I mean. Yeah. I'm _fine_. Just excited, I think. And it's _Africa_. Of course, I'm warm. This thing is amazing. Right?"

"Yes. Don't let it fry you. I _mean_ it."

"I won't. Sorry."

They followed Shuri onto the sled, and one of the guides that was also on the craft handed Pepper a small bundle. She thanked him and then handed Tony and Peter both floppy-brimmed hats, specifically designed to keep the sun from their eyes and skin, and once they had them on, she handed over sunscreen and watched as both of them slathered their necks with the stuff, since both were wearing long-sleeved shirts.

"Ready?" T'Challa asked, settling into a braced position, standing by the driver.

The passengers all nodded, and Peter went to stand beside Shuri, taking her hand in his excitement, and watching as the ground went by them at increasingly fast speeds as the vehicle they were in gained momentum and was soon cruising smoothly faster than a car would have been, and handling the rough terrain with ease.

Peter looked over at Tony, grinning at the exciting speed and had to grab his hat to keep it from blowing off. The sled was quiet, and powerful, and the boy let go of Shuri's hand in order to hang onto the rail and look over the edge of it, trying to see how the thrusters were working. Several underneath and one to the rear. Maybe Tony would find it interesting and want to bring one home with them, even though it was too big to fit in the jet.

"We are only going this speed until we get to our destination," Shuri assured them all. "Once we find the animals we're looking for, we'll go slowly – to avoid frightening them."

It was clear none of them minded the speed. Peter walked over to stand beside T'Challa for a moment, and then to the other side of the driver, as if searching for the exact spot to stand to get the full force of the wind driving into them. He spread his arms, raising them, as if he expected to be able to fly, making Tony and Pepper both smile to see how pleased he was.

OOOOOO

"There he is," Pepper whispered, her head right beside Peter's half an hour later. She had her hand on his back and the other one was pointing. "See him? Hiding behind her?"

Peter nodded, excitedly, looking across the river at the small herd of zebras. One was grazing on the lush grass by the river, but looking carefully to where Pepper was pointing – and counting _legs_ – Peter could see that there was a much smaller version of her hiding behind its mother, his head poking out to look over at them. Impossibly long ears were perked up, facing forward and then flicking backwards as though listening to them talking about him.

He grinned, looking over at Tony and gesturing at the foal. Tony shook his head, enjoying Peter's reaction to the baby zebra far more than he was actually enjoying the little creature. Of course, he'd seen it before. Shuri and T'Challa were enjoying Peter's reaction, as well. They, of course, had been seeing zebras since they were small children, so even a cute baby like this wasn't nearly as much fun for them as watching Peter see it for the first time.

"Can we get closer?" the boy asked, looking over at T'Challa.

"Zebra are skittish," the young king advised. "Especially one with young. If we get any closer, we will frighten her and they will run."

Peter nodded his understanding and looked back at the zebra herd, pulling his phone out and turning away from the baby and pulling Tony and Pepper in close so he could take a selfie with the two and have the zebra in the background.

"Come on," Shuri said, once they had all had a good look. "The guides have found something that you'll find just as interesting – and they aren't so afraid that we won't be able to get closer."

OOOOOO

The herd of water buffalo was imposing. They all were huge creatures – maybe not quite as big as the bison in Montana had been, but really close to it and just as stocky, although they were clearly designed for more migrations and not pushing their way through deep snow. The adults all had horns, and all watched suspiciously as the land sled made its way closer to the herd that was grazing among some scrub brushes and stunted trees, trying to get close enough to see the young calves, who were kicking up their heels, playfully, safe from concern by those adults that were watching them.

Unlike the zebra, these creatures were clearly not worried about the people who were approaching. Their heads simply went a little lower, clearly threatening bodily harm to anyone foolish enough to get too close.

Peter felt a thrill go through him at the sight. Not the _babies_ – although they were cute – but the _adults_. They were like enormous cows, or something. Enormous and maybe _dangerous_, of course, but danger was his middle name. He grinned, looking over at Tony as they got even closer.

"They look like they mean business."

"Yeah."

They _did_, too. Large and imposing. Peter watched as the adults moved themselves to form a wall between the humans and the babies, and he suddenly realized that they were close enough to each other that if he had a running start, he could probably run across their backs from one side of that line to the other. It made him think of a documentary that he'd watched somewhere that boys in some tribe in the Congo or somewhere actually did just that in order to become men. They just jumped up on the first cow and ran across their backs.

Peter could do that. He swung from buildings all the time. What was a water buffalo when compared to that? He watched, his hand on the rail of the vehicle, debating which side he'd start with. There was a fairly large bull on that end, but the jump wouldn't be that high. If he started by hopping up on their backs, closer to their tails, then they might not even realize that he was _there_ until he'd already jumped to the next one.

They were pretty big, after all, and probably didn't have much for reaction times.

He tensed, focused on the big bull on the end, and leaned back to get a little momentum to make the first jump from the land sled.

"Hey."

He started when he felt Tony's hand suddenly on his shoulder, and looked over at him, suddenly distracted from his inner thoughts by the contact.

"Yeah?"

Tony frowned, wondering why Peter looked so dazed all of the sudden. He checked the boy's forehead, but it was hot out, and he was probably just as warm as they all were in the sun.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Of course. You?"

"Yeah. We're going to go find a good place to stop and eat lunch."

"Sounds good."

The land sled moved on, and Peter watched the buffalo get smaller as they left the herd behind, and shook his head, suddenly feeling a bit of a headache. He moved to the cooler that held water bottles and took a long drink, figuring that Tony wouldn't keep worrying about him if he could see that he was being careful to stay hydrated.

Definitely didn't want Tony and Pepper to worry about him.


	59. Chapter 59

They saw a lot of other wildlife as the sled slowly made its way through the terrain on their way to whatever spot the guides had in mind for them to eat their picnic lunch. Tony decided that it was a lot like one of those zoo rides that took you through several different enclosures to see each animal in its natural environment as you drove by. Only a lot more _interesting_, since occasionally the animal in question got a lot closer to the vehicle than they were allowed to in the rides at the park.

The deer they saw – T'Challa and Shuri, and every now and then one of the guides or Okoye, would give the specific name, but they were all bunched into the category of _deer_ or _gazelle_ or even _antelope_, as far as Stark was concerned, were shy and bounded away as soon as they came in sight. Delicate legs moving them out of the area in a hurry. He and the others noticed several babies in those small herds, as well, and Pepper was quick with her camera and had taken pictures of all of them as Peter and Shuri had ooohed and awwwed over the little ones.

The deer weren't _all_ they saw, however.

They stopped and waited for a huge bull elephant to wander by, and the thing was incredibly large. It made Tony feel positively tiny. The tusks that were so prized by poachers were curved up and around its face and Tony shook his head in amazement at how strong the thing had to be in order to carry those wicked looking things around so effortlessly. He frowned, though, when he watched Peter looking at it; it almost looked like the boy was tensing up to jump out of the sled and chase the elephant down.

When Tony had put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention, though, he'd been met with that hyper cheerful smile and an expression of awe, instead. Before Stark could ask – _again_ – if he was feeling alright, Pepper had interrupted and gathered them into frame so she could get a shot with him and Peter, using the bull elephant as a backdrop.

Then they saw the cheetah. It was lounging in the shade of a tree and almost invisible with its tawny hide and spots to break up the silhouette. Tony and his family wouldn't have noticed it all if not for one of the two guides pointing it out to them, and the sled stopped long enough for them to take a photo – or fifty – before moving on.

"This is kind of like that movie _Jurassic Park_," Peter told Tony and Pepper, excitedly, as they drove away, his eyes still locked on the lean cat that was watching them, idly, but hadn't shown any sign of nervousness. Again, Tony noticed a different quality of intenseness in his expression, even as he was speaking to them. "You know… without _dinosaurs_ and add in normal animals."

At least it was a movie reference that Tony understood. He'd watched it a couple of times with Peter – and had actually seen it sometime around the time that it had come out, since it involved science.

"Well, let's hope we have a better _ending_," Pepper said with a smile, proving that she'd seen the movie a time or two, as well.

They might have said more, but they were interrupted by a small herd of more zebra, crashing their way through the underbrush in the area and clearly startled by the arrival of the land sled. Shuri moved over to stand beside them, smiling from something that T'Challa or Okoye must have said to her.

"Are you having fun?"

All three of her visitors nodded.

"This is all it was hyped up to be," Stark assured her. "Your country is beautiful."

"And the wildlife is just as diverse as we'd hoped," Pepper added.

"We are not far from where we will be having lunch," Shuri told them, clearly pleased at the praise, and proud of Wakanda. "Then we can get out and stretch our legs a little and get something to eat." She looked at Peter, who was still looking back, as if he were looking for the cheetah. "Are you hungry?"

The boy nodded.

"Starving."

OOOOOO

The place that they stopped for lunch was a green area. Surrounded by tall, lush grasses in some places and short scrubby trees in others, there was a large clearing big enough for the land sled to be parked off to the side and for the guides to set them up with a large variety of food for their midday meal. As T'Challa had already explained, lunch was usually their big meal of the day, and the sled had been carrying a couple of solar powered coolers that were brought out to the large blanket that had been put down on the ground to protect them from the prickly plants and hard, sunbaked dirt underneath them. It was much better than eating on the sled, after all.

Peter sat between Pepper and Tony, and for the first time that day seemed to be calm. He gorged himself on several thick sandwiches and a plate of chilled rice that he'd never had before, but had decided was delicious.

Tony watched in a mixture of awe and amusement as the boy wolfed down the meal with even more enthusiasm than usual.

"Hungry?" he asked the boy.

"Yeah. Sorry."

T'Challa grinned, and pushed a bowl of apple slices over to him.

"We brought plenty of food, Peter."

"But if we get stranded out here, or something," Tony added, also reaching for an apple. "You _do_ understand that we're going to eat you, first?"

Shuri laughed, and stretched her legs out. She had finished eating and was simply enjoying the fact that she had a day away from all her responsibilities and could enjoy the time with her brother – who rarely took such a holiday for himself – and could spend time with Peter, Tony and Pepper as well. It was relaxing.

"Can I go look around?" Peter asked.

"Not far," T'Challa replied. "Stay within sight."

The boy sprang to his feet, looking at Shuri – who realized that he was asking her if she wanted to go with him. She smiled and lifted her hand up to him so he could pull her to her feet and the two teens headed toward the scrubby trees which would allow them to look around better than the tall grass would.

"Is he alright?" T'Challa asked Tony and Pepper, once they were out of sight. "I have noticed you keep checking his forehead."

"He's acting a little odd," Tony admitted with a shrug. "It's probably just excitement, but Peter bears watching, sometimes. He doesn't like to let us worry about him, so even when he isn't feeling well, he'll still tell us that he's fine – right up until he drops."

T'Challa smiled.

"He is remarkably well rounded for someone who has had so much thrown at him so young."

The king, of course, knew everything about Peter's past; courtesy of Shuri. Well, as much as _Shuri_ did, anyway, Tony thought. There were obviously some glaring holes in the history.

"His parents – and then his _aunt_ – did a great job teaching him what's important," Tony agreed. "The crazy kid is ridiculously hard to spoil."

"And he's _tried_," Pepper added.

Tony sat back and allowed Pepper to steer the conversation to Wakanda, since she was still learning about the country and how the politics worked. Who better to have that discussion with than their king? He tipped his hat to block the sun and eventually started to doze off in the aftermath of a good meal and great company, listening to the quiet voice of the woman that he loved speaking softly in the background.

"Have you seen Peter?"

Stark opened his eyes, abruptly when he heard Shuri's voice asking a question that it definitely shouldn't be asking. He saw the girl standing at the edge of the blanket looking around, curiously.

"He was with _you_," T'Challa reminded her, standing up, instantly concerned.

Tony and Pepper both stood, as well, looking at the princess, who shook her head.

"We were looking around, and Peter was acting oddly," she said. "He told me that he would be right back. I assumed that he needed to sneak away to…" she trailed off with a shrug, obviously uncertain how to put it delicately. "To go to the _bathroom_… but he did not return. I went looking for him, but when I could not find him, I returned, thinking that he might have come back here."

"Oh, no…" Pepper moaned, softly. "He's _lost_."

"Relax," Tony said, reassuringly. "There's no way he can get lost. He's wearing his watch, and Friday can track him."

T'Challa had motioned to the guides, who were already heading for the sled, with Okoye right behind them. The king of Wakanda moved toward Pepper giving her a reassuring smile.

"We, too, can track him. He will be fine. He must have been turned around in the tall grass."

"Yeah," Tony agreed, already looking around, even though he hadn't activated his suit, yet. "Don't worry, Pep, we've got-"

There was suddenly an odd, low rumbling noise, and Stark frowned, trying to figure out what it was. It sounded almost like a small earthquake, maybe, or an approaching storm. But the sky was clear when he looked that direction. Shuri and the others looked, as well, and the tall grass off to the right began rustling. Then it was accompanied by an odd noise – something between a shriek and a roar, high-pitched squealing that was nothing Tony had ever heard. He looked at the Wakandans, assuming it was something they might recognize, but they both looked confused, as well.

"What-"

A moment later a lone figure broke free of the cover of the grass and the small group watched in stunned disbelief as Peter ran by them, wearing nothing but his boxers and the hat Pepper had given him. Tucked in his arms, squirming and clearly the source of the terrified bawling and screeching, was a baby rhinoceros.

"_Watch out!"_

Peter ran right by them, not even noticing them as near as any of the stunned onlookers could tell. A moment later the grass shuddered again, and two furious looking adult rhinos broke cover; obviously after the boy – or the _baby_, maybe – but now bearing down on the startled picnickers.


	60. Chapter 60

Tony Stark had seen a lot of things in his lifetime. Aliens. Gods. Betrayals and love. The best of people and the worst. A mostly naked boy carrying a baby rhino and being chased by a couple of others? That was new. Luckily, he wasn't one to panic, and never hesitated as the two adult rhinos bore down on them. The clearing that had once seemed fairly large was now suddenly much too small for the danger that was thundering toward them, even though the animals weren't really focused on the small group – and probably didn't even see them.

The Ironman suit activated, immediately. Even as it did, Stark was grabbing Shuri, who was closest to him, and turning his body to put his ironclad form between her and the thousands of pounds of fury heading their way. Several possibilities went through his HUD at the speed of a thought; ways to protect the girl as well as to save Pepper and T'Challa. Even as they did, though, Friday showed T'Challa pressing his chest and suddenly being encased in a dark suit of some sort. The king of Wakanda grasped Pepper in his arms and turned her away from the danger, putting _his_ body between her and the rhinos, a sudden shield of some kind forming to protect them just as the animals pounded up to them.

Pepper safe, Tony went the easy route and with Shuri in his hands, his thrusters fired, lifting himself and the girl up and out of the way as the rhinos thundered by underneath them. Then he dropped, careful to make sure _he_ absorbed the landing and not her.

"You okay?" Ironman asked the girl, who was startled – of course.

She nodded, looking at the retreating creatures.

"Yes. What-?"

Tony didn't have time to answer whatever it was she was going to ask. He turned, going into the air once more and directing Friday after Peter, and aware that T'Challa – still in the black outfit – was also pursuing the boy, running at impossible speeds. Unless you were Peter Parker carrying a little rhino, because the boy was running fairly quickly, as well.

Tony overflew the adult rhinos as Friday locked onto Peter's location and tracked the boy's progress as he ran through the brush and then across yet another clearing. Stark put on a burst of power and landed ahead of his trajectory, coming in hot just as Peter and his unwilling prize reached them. The boy pulled up, short, eyes wide, looking startled at his sudden appearance.

"Tony."

"_Drop the rhino."_

"But-"

The Ironman mask dissolved, leaving just Stark, who wasn't in the mood for any argument.

"Put the baby rhino down, Peter. _Now_!"

Disconcerted, the boy did as he was told, setting the struggling creature down, making sure it had all four feet on the ground before releasing it. The creature bawled a high-pitched keening noise, and the mask of the suit reformed just as the two adult rhinos reached their location, bearing down on them with heads lowered, aggressively. Stark grabbed Peter in a similar fashion to how he'd held Shuri and once more took the easy way out and went airborne. Friday pointed out T'Challa's location behind them, and the black suited king came to a stop when he saw Tony coming to land near by – far enough away from the rhinos to hopefully be out of sight and out of mind.

He let go of Peter and deactivated the suit just as T'Challa dismissed his own, and both men stared at each other, first, and then turned to the boy, who was grinning.

"That was _awesome_, Tony. You were all '_drop the rhino'_ and _swoosh_; grabbing me and flying me. We should fly more often. We don't do it-"

"_Peter_! What the hell were you _thinking_?"

The boy flinched, losing his smile.

"What?"

"A _rhino_? Are you _kidding_ me?"

"Oh." He looked at T'Challa, and then back at Tony. "Yeah. No. I mean, I wasn't going to _keep_ it. I mean, well _maybe_. I was going to pee, and I heard this noise and seriously, I looked around a little bush and there he _was_. It was just standing there. And it was cute. Little tiny horn, all by itself. I thought I'd pet it. And maybe take it to show _Shuri_, you know. Maybe she-"

"_Peter." _

He was a cross between furious at the danger the boy had put them all in and worried at just how fast he was talking.

The boy flinched, _again_.

"I just wanted to show it to you guys. And it was alone. Only it _wasn't_ alone," he added, quickly. "Suddenly there was another one. And then this other one started chasing me, and I didn't want the baby to get run over and hurt, so I figured I'd better take _it_, too. And then-"

"_Are you out of your mind!?"_

Peter stopped, frozen by the fury in Tony's voice and expression. The smile was gone, now, and his eyes were bright.

"No…" he whispered. "No. I… just… well, I don't know…"

"Tony…"

Stark turned toward T'Challa, who looked worried.

"What?"

"Something is not _right_ with him."

"You _think_? What gave you the first clue? The fact that he's _naked_ and kidnapping rhino babies?" He turned back to Peter, fear making him run off at the mouth as he hadn't done in years. "Do you have any idea how close those things came to hitting Shuri? To hitting _Pepper_? They could have been _killed_, Peter! _You_ could have been killed!"

"I…" the boy stepped back, unable to stand up to the fury in Tony's voice. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking…"

The fear and hurt in his voice cooled Tony's fury like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over his head. Friday was running diagnostics on the boy since they'd landed and even though he didn't have his mask on and as such didn't have access to the HUD, Tony was getting some worrisome data from his AI.

"No. You _weren't_ thinking," he said, his tone much softer. "What's going _on with you_?"

"I don't…" Peter looked down at himself, confused, taking in the scratches he'd obtained running through the brush, his arms, legs and chest flecked with blood. "Holy shit…"

"We should get him back to the palace, Tony," T'Challa suggested. "We can have a medic look at him."

"I'm okay," Peter told him, automatically.

"Oh, you are _not_ _okay_," Tony said, looking over as the ground sled came through the tall grass, catching up with them. He saw Pepper's fearful expression and shook his head, putting his hand on Peter's shoulder. "You are definitely _not_ okay. Come on, let's get you into the car." Stark looked at T'Challa. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. I am fine."

"What was that outfit?" Tony asked as he used the hold that he had on his son to turn him toward the sled.

"That's his panther habit," Peter replied before T'Challa could. He turned to look at Pepper, suddenly trembling, but uncertain why, and wincing at the pain that was lancing through his head. Like a hundred little guys with spears were trying to break out of his skull through his left temple. "The king of Wakanda wears it as a mantle to protect Wakanda."

As if that explained everything, Peter climbed onto the land sled and instinctively sought Pepper's embrace.

"_Peter_…" she murmured, putting her arms around him, but looking at Tony and T'Challa as they climbed onto the vehicle as well.

"I'm sorry," the boy whispered, brokenly, burying his face against her shirt. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Pepper sat down on the seat, pulling him down with her and cradling him protectively in her arms.

"You didn't hurt me, sweetheart. It's okay."

T'Challa was looking at the boy, surprised.

"How did he know about my panther mantle, Tony?"

"I know _everything_," Peter answered.

"We need to find his clothes," Stark said, looking at T'Challa and the guides.

"No one knows _everything_, Peter," Shuri said, uncertainly, clearly still in shock from what she'd witnessed, but automatically correcting her friend, even as she reached for a first aid kit to start treating the scratches and scrapes on his bare arms. She had better equipment back in her lab, but they could at least clean the wounds.

The boy turned his head, but didn't loosen his grip on Pepper. His eyes were unnaturally bright.

"Try me."

"Peter…" Tony's voice was uncertain, and concerned. "Take a break, son."

"The first black panther?" Shuri asked, opening the kit.

"Bashenga."

T'Challa and Shuri both looked surprised. As did Okoye. Peter ignored it, and winced, closing his eyes, now, and nestling his face against Pepper's neck.

"We have much to discuss, Tony," T'Challa said, softly, looking from the boy to the man who was standing beside him and Pepper.

Stark nodded.

"Yeah. I suppose we do. Once we get Peter figured out."


	61. Chapter 61

Tony had to go Ironman to find where Peter had dropped his clothes. If not for the fact that his polymorph and his wallet were both in his jeans, he wouldn't have bothered, but once he activated the suit, Friday didn't have any trouble finding the obviously hastily discarded clothing – although Stark didn't have any idea why the boy had tossed them in the first place. While he was in the air retrieving the clothing, Tony had a quick conversation with his AI.

"What do you have for me, Friday?"

"_He's fevered. Heart rate, blood pressure and brain activity are sky high."_

"Injuries?"

"_Scratches, bruises, some cuts. Adrenaline levels were ratcheted up when we found him with the rhino calf but are considerably lower at the moment."_

"Life threatening?"

"_For _others_, yes. For Peter, not, yet."_

"Cause?"

"_Undetermined. That would take a blood sample."_

"Thanks."

Tony came in for his typical landing as the guide slowed the land sled down, and he dismissed the suit, handing the bundle of clothing to T'Challa before climbing back into the vehicle. Then he and the king of Wakanda took the unresisting boy from Pepper and helped get him dressed, once more. Peter didn't say a word through the process, and refused to meet Tony's gaze. He was trembling the entire time, however, which had both men worried.

"Has this ever happened before, Tony?" T'Challa asked, as Shuri and Pepper pointedly turned their heads to afford them some privacy.

"No. This is new. And _recent_, I think. Whatever it is, he wasn't like this yesterday."

"Something he _ate_?" Pepper asked, once they had Peter dressed and he had turned back to her, burying his face into her collarbone with his arms wrapped around himself, and her arms coming around him, holding him close against her. "Some kind of nutmeg thing, maybe?"

T'Challa shook his head.

"It cannot be nutmeg. We do not use that spice, normally, and I made sure the chefs and kitchen staff were advised not to bring any in."

"Besides, he didn't do anything like this when he was sick from the nutmeg, before," Tony said, reaching out and putting his hand on Peter's back. He could feel the trembling under his touch. "Friday says his vitals are through the roof, so we're going to need to get him in a bed as soon as we can and try to figure this out."

"My lab," Shuri told her brother. She turned to Tony and Pepper, confident. "I have the best diagnostic equipment available. It not only works for machinery, but with anatomy, as well – and nanotech to boost it."

T'Challa nodded his agreement, and Tony shrugged. It was their country; he'd assume that they knew best.

"I want Stephen here, too, though," he requested. "He knows Peter's inner workings better than anyone."

"That is fine." T'Challa understood completely. "If you call him, I will make sure our flight operations are ready when your jet arrives."

Tony didn't reply to that – although he had very little reason to think that they'd need to worry about the jet. He would let Strange decide, of course, but with something like this, he doubted the sorcerer was going to be willing to take a flight to come and figure Peter out. Even if it meant giving up his secret abilities. It seemed there was going to be a lot of secrets coming out soon, after all.

Instead, he sighed and sat down beside Pepper, knowing the land sled was going as quickly as it could and that they already had the transport plane in place to take them back to the palace.

"Thanks, T'Challa."

He turned his attention to Peter, then, once more putting resting his hand on his back. The boy trembled, and wouldn't look at him. He wouldn't pull his face from Pepper's shoulder to look at anyone, but she and Tony could both feel how tightly wound he was under their touch.

OOOOOO

"_He did what?"_

"He stripped down, grabbed a rhinoceros calf and tried to take off with it. Damn near got everyone trampled when momma came after him. But he was acting odd before that, too. Hyper in pretty much every way."

"_Restless?"_

"I found him practicing with a spear at O-dark-thirty last night, and Pepper found him this morning trying to stab himself with a vibranium spear tip to see if the vibranium sleeve could stop it."

Strange's expression was almost laughable – if things weren't so serious. Natasha – who happened to be at the sanctum at 7am, but that wasn't any of Tony's business – looked a lot more serious.

"_That's pharmalogical, Tony,"_ Stephen told him.

"T'Challa said there's no nutmeg anywhere around here."

"_There are other plants besides nutmeg. Wakanda has a few that Peter would never have been exposed to. You and Pepper aren't showing any of these symptoms?"_

"He was running around naked with a baby _rhino_, Stephen. I would have said something a lot sooner if Pepper had tried that."

Strange nodded.

"_I assume you're fine with me not waiting to catch a flight over there?"_

Meaning did Tony care if the Wakandans knew about his abilities. Stark shook his head.

"If you're willing, the sooner you can get here, the better. I'd appreciate it."

"_I'm going to come, too,"_ Natasha said.

"Yeah."

"_I could jump us, but I was only in a few places when we were there. Find a safe spot to let me lock onto your GPS to make a portal and let me know when you're ready."_

"Will do. Give me a few minutes."

The call ended, and Tony walked over to the small group gathered around Peter. The boy was sitting on the edge of what looked like an examination table, and was arguing with Shuri and Pepper, who were trying to convince him to lie himself flat so the Wakandan could get an accurate reading. Yet another indication that something wasn't quite right with him, Tony thought as he joined them, standing beside T'Challa, who was staying out of the argument. It was rare when Peter wouldn't cooperate with Pepper – which had been why Tony had left to allow her to talk to him in the first place.

"Stephen and Natasha are coming."

T'Challa nodded, but Peter frowned, looking over at him and then looking down at the hands that he had folded in his lap, refusing to meet his gaze – again.

"They don't need to come. I'm fine."

"You are _not_ fine, Peter," Shuri told him. "Lie down so I can figure-"

"I _feel_ fine. I probably just need some sleep – and something to eat. Then I'll be good."

"It will take two minutes," Shuri told him, visibly annoyed. "Do not make me secure you."

"You _couldn't_," he assured her. "I'm Sp-"

"Peter," Tony interrupted, reaching his hand to the boy's shoulder to steady him before he revealed anything that he didn't want to. "Do what you're told, son. It's just to be certain you didn't take any harm."

"I'm fine," the boy repeated, exasperated. "Why won't you _listen_ to me?"

"Because you are showing a remarkable lack of common sense just now," Shuri said.

"Either you do it _now_, or you do it when Stephen and Natasha come," Tony added.

If he wouldn't capitulate for Romanoff, then they _really_ had a problem on their hands.

The boy scowled, and then huffed, annoyed.

"Fine."

He lay back onto the table, his eyes on Pepper as the princess moved to his side and a 3D image came up almost immediately above the boy. Heart, lungs and brain all showing red.

"Temperature is elevated, blood pressure is dangerously high and resting heart-rate makes it look like you are running a marathon."

While she was saying that, they all watched as the 3D also pulled up every cut and scrape the boy had on his body from the sprint he'd run through the wilderness, each red mark turning soothing blue as the nanotechnology took care of the minor injuries.

"Can you heal it?" T'Challa asked his sister.

"I do not know what it _is_, brother."

"Stephen says it sounds pharmalogical. A plant, or something from the environment," Tony said, alternating his attention between watching the process and watching Peter for any signs of discomfort. The glasses he'd put on were giving him Friday's take on things, as well. "And recent. He mentioned that your country has a few rare plants Peter might have come in contact with."

Shuri nodded.

"If he had been out in the plains, I might agree that he could have come in contact with something. However, he has only been here, in the palace, and we do not keep anything that could do something like this out in the open where it could pose a problem."

"Not to mention," T'Challa added. "The plants that we have would only be able to do this if they were properly prepared – usually that means harvested and dried."

"We'll let Stephen help you figure that out."

"I do not want to wait until he gets here to start researching this, Tony," Shuri said, seriously. "The sooner I know what caused it, the sooner I can resolve it."

"You healed a bullet wound overnight," T'Challa said. "Why can you not do the same with this?"

"A bullet is in a single location, brother. This… whatever it is… has spread into his cells and throughout his entire being. It is not so simple. Even with the nanotechnology."

"Stephen will be here in a few minutes," Tony said. "I just wanted to make sure T'Challa is alright with him coming."

The Wakandans looked confused – not surprisingly.

"How do you intend this?" Shuri asked.

Tony winked, figuring if the secret was going to be out, it might as well go out with a flourish, instead of hiding it. He pressed a button on his watch and stepped back a few steps to make sure everyone was clear. A moment later the air a few feet away seemed to catch on fire. A circle of fire formed and then opened, revealing a portal that Shuri had seen before. As she and the others watched, Stephen Strange and Natasha Romanoff stepped out, and the portal vanished behind them.

The doctor nodded to the king of Wakanda, and promptly headed to stand beside Shuri, looking down at Peter, and at the 3D display, as if he dealt with that kind of technology all the time.

"How did you do that?" T'Challa asked, amazed.

He was certain that they did not have that kind of technology in Wakanda, and knew they were so far advanced from the rest of the world that it shouldn't have been possible.

"It's _complicated_," Tony told him. "Another thing we can discuss later. Once they get Peter figured out."


	62. Chapter 62

Patience had never been Tony Stark's strong suit. Waiting was hard for him, and everyone that knew him, knew it. Especially with something like this. It took Pepper on one side and Romanoff on the other to keep him from hovering over Stephen's shoulder while they watched Shuri and the doctor work on Peter, who was once more sitting up – despite being told they would prefer him on his back. Pepper had her hand on the small of Tony's back, her fingers holding tightly to his belt. Every time he'd move, automatically, toward the trio on the other side of the room, she would keep him in place with that simple grasp.

Although he scowled every time.

Finally Strange looked over at them and nodded. Pepper released her hold on Tony, and the billionaire led Romanoff and his wife back to the boy's examination table, followed by T'Challa. Stark looked down at Peter, who was flushed and sheened with sweat; face, neck and arms, anyway. Peter looked up at them as they approached but once more looked down at his hands, which he was holding tightly in his lap.

"What are we looking at Stephen?" Tony asked, resting his hand on Peter's shoulder, worried by the fact that he was still trembling.

"We don't know what it is," Strange admitted. "But it isn't _good_. His mind is completely altered – _obviously_ – and his vitals are off the chart in some instances. Heart, respiration, blood pressure. He's fevered, and chilled, and-"

"I'm _fine_," Peter said. "I just need to get up and get some exercise or something."

"No," Shuri replied. "You need to stay _still_."

"But-"

"_Peter_." Strange put his hand on the boy's other shoulder, as if worried thought would turn to deed and he'd try to get up. "Relax. You can get up, later."

"Wait," Natasha said, frowning down at the boy and then looking at Strange. "He's _high_?"

"Extremely so," Stephen agreed.

"So we hold onto him until it wears off…?" Tony asked. "Get out some chips and ho-hos and deal with the munchies?"

"With one of the _usual_ suspects, I'd say yes," the sorcerer supreme said. "But this isn't usual. It's not even _close_. Whatever he got into is much more serious."

"If he was exposed to this substance yesterday – as we suspect – then it should have run its course by now," Shuri explained. "It has _not_ – obviously. We need to know what it is, so we can discover why it is not wearing off."

"We're treating it as a poisoning, right now, Tony," Stephen told him, glancing at Pepper, concerned when she made a soft, distressed, noise. Stark's hand went from Peter's shoulder to the small of her back, comfortingly. "We'll run more tests, and try to isolate the compounds that are causing it. Then-"

"I'm not _poisoned_," Peter told them, unable to hold still any longer, and getting to his feet. He dodged Strange's reach for him, twisting with his usual natural grace, but ruined the motion by tripping on his own foot and would have fallen if Tony hadn't caught him. He jerked as though burned, and pulled away. "I'm _fine_," he insisted, his eyes wild. He looked at Tony. Then at Pepper, and his expression changed, as if he was waging an internal struggle that was more exhausting than the chemicals burning through his system. The boy winced, visibly pained, and his hand went to Tony for just a moment, touching his arm. "I'm gonna go find that rhino guy and make sure he's not hurt."

He turned and immediately crumbled to the floor.

OOOOO

They put him back on Shuri's diagnostic table. Tony would have rather had him in a comfortable bed – preferably one that he could join him in and hold him – but Stephen and Shuri wanted to keep track of his vitals and the table did all of that and more.

"Do we give him something?" Tony asked, standing beside the table and holding Peter's hand for lack of any other way to connect with him.

"The nanotech is doing a better job of keeping him stable than anything artificial we could introduce into his system," Stephen assured him. "Shuri's setup here is really impressive."

They both looked over at the girl, who was a short distance away, talking to her brother and Okoye – and Natasha.

"Yeah." He turned back to his friend, and felt Pepper's arm go around his waist. "How serious is this, Stephen?"

"It's not the nutmeg thing," Strange said. "But it's _bad_. If we can figure out what it is that he ingested, we can whip up a counteractive – like they would treat an overdose. It would clear his system within days. Otherwise we're going to have to wait for him to burn through it."

"And it isn't going to be fast."

"No." he sighed. "Either way, he's in for a rough time of it."

"The higher you are the more the crash burns…" Pepper said.

Both men looked at her, surprised despite the situation. She raised an eyebrow at them and rested her chin on Tony's shoulder, putting both arms around him, now, for comfort.

"_What_? I went to college…"

Before either of them could respond to that, T'Challa and Okoye left the room. Shuri and Natasha walked over to a display and the princess made a few motions, turning it on, and then clearly showing Romanoff a few commands. She left Natasha there and came to the diagnostic bed, looking down at Peter and then at the displays that were above his prone body, keeping her and the others updated with real time information on the boy's stats.

"T'Challa has gone to inform my mother what has happened. We will cancel the festivities planned for this evening, of course."

"And Romanoff?" Tony asked.

"She is looking through all of the security footage we have of Peter from yesterday to see if she can find him interacting with anything that might explain this."

"If you allow me to interface Friday with your systems, I could help with that," Stark said, wanting something to do and well aware that he would be helpful.

Friday was much quicker than he and Natasha could be. He suspected, though, that the idea had been Romanoff's. He hadn't even thought of security cameras, but it would have been second nature for her.

"Of course."

She gestured for him to follow her. Tony kissed Pepper as she let him go.

"I won't be far if you need me," he told her.

"I know. I'll stay with him."

She and Strange watched Tony follow Shuri over to where Natasha was standing at the display and then Pepper looked down at Peter. His young face was taut and strained, even unconscious.

"Does he hurt?"

"No," Strange told her, aware that he was probably lying to her. "He's most likely just having some interesting dreams."

She looked over at Shuri.

"Should we take precautions to avoid having the teleporting issue if he starts panicking? Wrap his hands or something?"

"I'll keep an eye on him," the sorcerer said. "Right now, I doubt that he could focus enough to tell it to take him anywhere – but I won't risk him if it makes an appearance."

"Thank you."

She sat down on the edge of the table for lack of anywhere else to sit and took Peter's hand. The touch roused him, somewhat, and his hand tightened in hers. She looked at him, waiting to see if he would open his eyes, but he didn't.

"Don't worry, Pepper," Strange told her, dropping his hand to her shoulder, proving that he was much better at reassuring people than he had been a few years before. "He's going to be fine."

Probably.


	63. Chapter 63

"Huh. That's interesting…"

Romanoff looked over at Tony.

"What do you have?"

He waved a hand and the same video that he was watching with the glasses he was wearing was now shared on the display that she'd been looking at.

"Watch the little kid."

She did, but the _little kid_, as Tony called him, was in a lot of videos that she had seen of the meals that they'd eaten with T'Challa and company. He was one of the servers – or a server in training, Shuri had said, when Natasha had pointed him out the first time she'd seen him.

"What am I… oh." The spy frowned and then waved her hand to rewind what she'd just seen and play it back once more. "_That_ guy isn't one of the servers, is he?"

"Not dressed like that, he isn't."

"We'll ask Shuri when she gets back. She might have an idea who he is – and why he would be handing a cup to the little kid and specifically pointing out Peter to him."

"Yes."

OOOOOOO

"_I'll bet Mr. Stark would let you keep it."_

"_You think?"_

"_He loves you, right?"_

"_Well… yeah. But it's going to get big."_

"_Nutmeg is going to get big, too."_

"_Not as big as a _rhino_."_

"_More of a pain in the ass, though," Ned assured him. "You should ask. We could name him Buttercup. He could give everyone rhino rides when he grows up."_

"_Yeah, Peter," MJ agreed. "I'd like a ride on Buttercup when he grows up."_

_The boy frowned, but that seemed reasonable, somehow._

"_I have to find him, first."_

"_You left him alone in the wilderness."_

"_He's with adults."_

"_They might not be _his_ adults. Maybe they won't take care of him."_

"_They're probably kicking him, right now, Penis," Flash said, nastily. "You shouldn't have left him alone."_

"_Ned's right," MJ told him. "You shouldn't have left him. Now he's going to be alone. What if a black panther eats him?"_

"_What if he's _lost_?" Ned added. "He doesn't have a collar like Nutmeg. No one could find him. It's your fault if that happens."_

"_I can't save _everyone_."_

"_Of course, you can," MJ assured him. "You're _Spiderman_, right?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_He's probably all alone…"_

"_All by himself…"_

"_Save him, Peter."_

_Yeah. He could do that. That's what superheroes did, right? They flew faster than speeding bullets and jumped off high buildings. Rescued Buttercups. Was that right? It didn't _seem_ right, for some reason._

"_I need to think…"_

"_Don't think about it, just do it."_

"_You don't need to think," Buttercup told him. "Come save me."_

"_I can't think…" _

_Nothing would focus. He needed to find Buttercup. Needed to recue him before the panthers ate him. He felt a stone in his hand, and heard a cheerful question in his mind._

_Where?_

_But he didn't know where. Couldn't think. Couldn't concentrate. Couldn't __think__._

"_I need to think… I can't think…"_

"_Save me, Peter!" Buttercup screamed, jerking Peter's mind back to one concern and only one concern._

"Don't you even _think_ about it."

That was Tony's voice, but it was too late. He'd thought about it and acted on it. They seemed to be one and the same, lately. He rolled off the bed, the teleportation stone clattering to the floor, and raced for the door.

"I have to find Buttercup!"

"_Peter!"_

Hands grabbed at him, but he fought them off with a smooth parry and a roll that would have made Natasha cheer and then hug him, pleased. He turned as he rolled and saw others coming at him, too. Somewhere in his mind a voice screamed that he knew them and couldn't hurt them but the part that was in control told him that he needed to escape and go find his rhino buddy. Buttercup was waiting.

He felt a tingle, knew a magical spell was coming and had an instant realization in his mind telling him what spell. He dodged the portal as it opened, springing to the side and then rolling right back around to dodge the next one, as well. Before another could be created, Peter felt another person coming from the side and moved, jumping straight up into the air and activated his web spinners at the same instant. He shot a web at the magician, catching a hand as it was making another motion for a portal, and pinned it to the nearest surface – which was a cupboard.

"_Stop!"_

He flinched from the anger in the voice, knowing full well it was directed at him and unable to bear it, and headed for the open door and the corridor beyond it. Another formed loomed in his way, ready to catch him, but he tossed a magical barrage at him, causing the other to have to dodge it and giving Peter the room that he needed to get into the corridor.

Heart pounding and his breath coming way too fast, the boy ran for the end of the hallway, uncertain where it led but knowing there had to be an exit, somewhere. He heard them behind him, heard them yell his name, but the panic had hold of him and the voice inside his head just kept telling him that he needed to escape. To get away. They wanted to stop him, but he needed to find Buttercup.

Something slammed into him from the back, sending a surge of pain throughout his entire being and he stumbled, but he regained his feet in an instant and saw a light in front of him. A _window_! Not quite what he'd been looking for – not as good as a door, but that was fine. It was a way out. He ran headlong for it and dove through the glass just as he heard a woman yell his name from behind him.

Then he was falling, but he threw his arms out. He could fly. He'd done it before. He heard thrusters behind him and felt himself being caught by a strong grip. An _iron_ grip. He struggled to free himself, but there was no way for him to get any purchase or leverage and the arms were wrapped tightly around him, bringing his arms in while they flew, pinning his arms to his sides and making his webshooters useless.

"Let me go!" he yelled, ignoring the wind rushing in his face, taking his breath away. "I've got to save Buttercup."

"It's okay, Peter…"

"Let-" they were landing, then, but the grip was too tight, still, and he was so tired, suddenly. His head was screaming at him, both painfully and the voices clamoring for his attention. It was too much, and he sobbed in fear, confusion and frustration. "_Please_…"

Then there were more people and they were all talking at once, loud voices and angry voices and concerned voices and one voice right in his ear, not louder than the rest, but one he couldn't ignore. Soothing him, and murmuring, gently, telling him that he loved him and that he was going to be okay. Just hold on. Peter rested his cheek against the metallic body that was clutching him and closed his eyes and tried to focus on just _that_ voice and the promises it was making him.

"Please…"

OOOOOO

"Well that was _horrible_…"

"Yes." Strange looked at the boy laying on the examination table – hands and waist now secured with force bracelets to hold him in position. They'd started with metal manacles, but Peter had snapped them like they were made of cheese. "Are you alright?"

Tony shook his head, dabbing at a cut above his eye.

"You mean aside from watching my son throw himself out of a window to try and escape me?"

"He wasn't trying to get away from _you_, Tony," Stephen assured him, still trying to get the webbing off his hands. "He almost certainly didn't even _recognize_ you."

"Doesn't make it less horrible. If we hadn't been so far up, I never would have had time to catch him…"

"I know. It won't happen, again, though. Any idea who Buttercup is?"

"No."

He turned toward the door as Pepper walked in and made a beeline for him. She hadn't been in the room when the panic attack – or whatever it had been – had hit, and Tony was grateful for it. There wouldn't have been any reasoning with the boy, and she would have tried, Tony knew. Peter had been desperate enough to escape that he hadn't tried to pull his punches, either. Figuratively and literally. Luckily for all of them, he didn't have a killer nature and the magical attacks that he'd used and the physical blows hadn't been designed for injury, just to disable enough to escape.

"Are you alright?" Pepper asked him, looking him over, carefully.

He was bleeding from a couple of cuts and had taken a shot from Peter that had really stung, but he wasn't injured, and he shook his head, reassuringly.

"I'm fine, Pep. He just had a panic attack."

"Stephen?"

The doctor nodded. He, too, was bleeding from Peter's escape attempt, but it was mostly his pride that stung. The boy was remarkably quick and had even managed to throw a few magical attacks at him – his own attacks, he noticed.

"I am, too. Thanks."

Natasha had been talking to Shuri, and both of them walked over to the exam table where Peter was, completely unconscious, now, but confined for his own protection. He'd proven that he had no idea what was going on around him, and no concern for his own personal safety.

"We might have something. Shuri says that the guy who gave the cup to that kid isn't a server."

Everyone looked at the girl, who was a bit stunned by the ferocity of Peter's desperate escape attempt. She hadn't been in the room, but she had video, and would eventually go over it frame by frame – although at the moment she was focused on trying to find out what was going on with Peter.

"He is a Jabari noble," Shuri confirmed. "I introduced him to Peter the day he arrived. He has returned home, but T'Challa is recalling him to discuss his actions."

"So it could be something?" Tony asked.

"Yes. The timing would be right." Strange said. He looked at the unconscious boy, brushing his fingers along his cheek. "How long until he makes it back here?"

"A few hours. No more."

"Good."


	64. Chapter 64

Azuro was excited, although he was trying very hard to hide it. He knew that it wasn't befitting a man – and a Jabari noble – to grin like an idiot just because he'd been singled out by the king – and maybe even, the _princess_. Singled out enough that he was being summoned back to the capitol less than a day after leaving. His father hadn't given him any reason – perhaps he didn't _know_, or maybe it was a surprise. The young man wondered if T'Challa was going to award him in some fashion for his impressive performance at the reenactment dancing. If he tried, Azuro would say it wasn't necessary with the proper amount of modesty befitting a man with his family ties and then he imagined that Shuri would smile at him, and perhaps even offer a kiss instead.

_That_ would be something.

He was still imagining how it would all play out in his head when he was led into the king's private counsel room. The _private_ one, he'd noticed. Even better. T'Challa was there, of course, but Shuri was as well, standing next to the throne her brother was seated in. Even Ramonda was present, and Azuro felt a shiver of excitement run through him. It _must_ be important, then. Perhaps this was going to be even better than he had imagined.

"Azuro," T'Challa said once the boy had stopped in front of him. "Son of Rhazew, elder of the Jabari tribe."

The young man bowed, respectfully.

"My king. How may I serve?"

"You may serve me by answering some questions, Azuro," T'Challa told him, his expression unreadable. "Several hours ago, one of my esteemed and honored guests threw himself out of a window for no reason that any can ascertain." A display over T'Challa's shoulder showed a still shot of the boy that had come to Wakanda breaking through the glass of one of the palace windows. From the angle of the security footage, it was clearly a very high one. "Apparently, he has been acting oddly since last evening's entertainment. Perhaps _you_ have an insight into his unexpected behavior?"

If he could have, Azuro would have paled. Both at the image on the display and at the realization that T'Challa would not be asking him about the actions of the American boy if he didn't already know what he'd done. Visions of rewards and kisses and honor drained away as his mouth went dry.

"I… Your majesty… it…" he trailed off, and Shuri's eyes flashed with fury.

"What did you give him, Azuro?"

The direct question was impossible to ignore. Her anger cut through his uncertainty.

"Ganza tea with an infusion of Marl root."

Shuri's eyes widened, but before she could say anything, T'Challa held his hand up to stop her.

"Your reason?"

The young noble was clearly shaken. He looked at the display, again, the boy falling through the air. He couldn't see the expression on Peter's face, thankfully, but he knew he would never forget the image. He was aware just how much he had overstepped, and what it had done. Honor compelled him to tell the truth and not try to justify his actions – even if T'Challa's direct question hadn't.

"It… I… a _prank_, your majesty. I wanted… to see him make a fool of himself."

"You would dishonor yourself and threaten the life of a guest as a prank?"

The wording made Azoru quail. His honor was _everything_, of course.

"I did not mean for him to be hurt. I-"

"Ganza is dangerous," Shuri interrupted, unable to keep silent. "Marl is even more so. What were you _thinking_?"

"The Marl was to keep the Ganza from over stimulating the boy," Azoru said, automatically defensive. "Our shaman use it together in ceremonies."

"Under carefully controlled conditions. And not fused together."

T'Challa frowned, his eyes still on the young noble in front of him.

"You will tell the healers exactly what you gave him, and how it was prepared. Once we have the drug out of his system and have an assurance of his recovery, we will deal with you."

"His _recovery_?" Azoru repeated, looking at the display. It was a long way to fall. No one could have survived that. "Is he…?"

T'Challa gestured and Shuri waved a hand in front of the display. The still shot suddenly became video. Peter throwing his arms wide, and now his expression was discernable – somewhere between confusion and excitement – and clearly not afraid. An instant later another form was coming through the same window; Tony Stark one moment, doing a swan dive and the Ironman suit forming around him, even as he aimed himself toward the plummeting boy. A thruster flared at his feet and he swooped in and caught Peter, wrapping arms around him, pinning him against his chest before vanishing off the footage. It was picked up a moment later by a different camera, this one showing the two landing on a balcony at the same level that he'd fallen from.

"Luckily for Peter – and for _you_ – his father was there to save him from the harm you have instigated."

Azoru felt a wave of relief go through him – and consternation at the mention of fathers. His own was going to be furious. He wasn't sure how he would react once he heard about this.

"Yes."

"Go. Shuri will tell you what she needs from you."

The young noble bowed, again and left, with Shuri right behind him, already bringing up her 3D displays to start inputting the information she'd get from him.

OOOOOOO

Tony and Pepper were both with Peter when he came to. Pepper was sitting on the edge of the examination table Peter was secured to, and Tony was standing in front of her, his body between her knees, his arms holding her against his belly and chest, comforting her while they watched the 3D display that was keeping track of their son's vital signs. They'd been there, together, for hours, now, but neither was willing to leave – just in case they were needed.

An increase in the beeping that was monitoring his heart made both of them look over just as Peter opened his eyes, looking up at the ceiling with a wince; most likely a combination of bright lights and a screaming headache. The 3D readout was showing his blood pressure rising and the red jumble of his brain activity that Shuri and Stephen had both explained was a biproduct of whatever the boy had been given.

Tony let go of Pepper, moving to the other side of the table to allow her the space on the side she was on. Both saw him try to move his hands, and the uncertainty in his expression when the power restraints wouldn't allow him to. As a precaution that Strange hadn't explained to Shuri, rolls of cotton had been put into Peter's hands and then they'd been wrapped into fists – to stop the teleportation stone from coming into play. It was already in the room; Strange had picked it up from the floor after Peter's near-disastrous escape attempt. He didn't know why he hadn't used it then, but he wasn't going to allow the boy a second try.

"What…?"

"Easy, sweetheart," Pepper said, softly, leaning over him and brushing her fingers against his cheek.

He looked confused – which they were almost coming to expect, lately – and worse, _afraid_.

"What's wrong with my hands?"

He tried to move them again, but couldn't, and both of them could see him struggling with the bonds that were holding him firmly to the table.

"Nothing," Tony told him, leaning over, as well. Bracketing the boy between them as well as he could considering the awkward angle. "You're _fine_. We just need you to be still, right now."

"I…" the fear was overcoming the confusion. His eyes were wide with it. "Please... let me go."

"Shhh…" Pepper pressed her cheek against his, running her hand along his arm. "You're fine, Peter. It's okay. Just for a little while…"

"Please." The boy's whisper was heartbreakingly young. And scared. "I'm _sorry_. Please."

"Sorry?" Tony repeated, looking down at him. "For what?"

"I don't know. Whatever I did. Please? I won't do it, again. I promise. Just let me go. I'm sorry… please…"

Pepper kissed his cheek, realizing what he was saying, and cupping her palm against his chin.

"We're not _punishing_ you, Peter," she said, softly, tears welling in her eyes, echoing the ones that were running down his cheeks. "We're just keeping you still for a little while longer. Don't be afraid."

"I'm _sorry_," he sobbed, again, turning from her to look at Tony, his eyes catching the dark marks on Stark's face, obviously not missing the injuries and somehow almost certainly realizing that _he_ was responsible for them. "Please, Tony… _please_…?"

"_Easy_, Peter," Tony crooned, brushing his cheek against Peter, as well, feeling the tension when they boy tried to bring his hand up to touch him. "We're right here, with you. You're fine."

"I'm sorry…" Peter replied, closing his eyes, his struggles weakening as he drifted in and out of awareness. "Let me up… please…"

Tony caught a movement in the corner of his eye and turned from Peter as Strange and Shuri walked into the lab. He lifted his head from Peter's cheek.

"Tell me we've got something…"

"We've got something," Strange answered. "Keep him calm – as much as you can." The doctor hadn't missed the scene between the three and looked over at Natasha, who was watching as well, but unable to help without overwhelming the _already_ overwhelmed boy on the table. "We know what it is, and how much of each. Now we just need to make a counteragent."

"Ten minutes," Shuri told them, already moving to her display.

Stark looked at Strange again, and the magician nodded.

"It'll take longer than that to sort him out, but the counteragent will start the process of bringing him down."

"I'm _sorry_…" Peter moaned, again, drawing Tony's attention back to his boy.

He palmed Peter's cheek, noting how flushed and miserable he looked, even with his eyes closed, now.

"The sooner the better."


	65. Chapter 65

"This is like the antigen stuff you created for the nutmeg thing?" Tony asked half an hour later, stepping back from the examination table with Pepper to allow Shuri the room she and Stephen needed to administer the counteractive Shuri's tech had just created. "Basically poison to set him straight?"

"No," Stephen said. "That was a bit different of a situation. This is going to counter the narcotics in Peter's system and allow his body to come down off the high, naturally."

"Will it hurt?" Natasha asked, also watching.

"Not as much as if he were actually addicted to the herbs and their effects," Shuri said. "He's not going to be _withdrawing_. It might make him talkative, and there could be some interesting side effects, but pain shouldn't be one of them. If he starts showing signs of discomfort, I'll give him something for it."

Tony nodded, relieved.

"Have I mentioned just how _remarkable_ a young woman you are?" he asked the Wakandan princess.

She blushed with pleasure at the compliment. She heard compliments all the time, of course, but coming from Tony – who was remarkable in his own right – it was different. Because she knew he meant it.

"Thank you." She allowed Strange to administer the first dose of the counteragent and then both of then studied the monitoring equipment as if to make sure there were no surprises. Soon, they both looked satisfied with whatever they were seeing – although Peter didn't look any different to any of them. "You still owe me an explanation, however."

"And you have been very _patient_," Stark told her. He shrugged, watching as Pepper moved to take her spot on the edge of the table, so she could hold the boy's hand. "When your brother is free, I'll tell you both what you want to know."

_Some_ of it, anyway. He knew they could be trusted now, and besides, he had a feeling Shuri would simply drive Peter to distraction once he was feeling better, trying to get an answer from _him_. She was inquisitive, just like he was and probably wouldn't have let up until she knew. Might as well tell her some of it. Most teenagers – even ones hopped up on whatever drugs he'd been given – couldn't run around carrying rhinos, after all. Even a little one.

An explanation was definitely in order.

"I am sure he will want to speak with you," she replied. "There is the matter of Azuro to discuss, as well. As Peter's father, you have the right to demand retribution for the injury he has caused from his family and from his tribe. Both _actual_ injury, in this case, and the harm that he has done to you and Pepper by worrying you."

"I don't know about that," Stark said. "That would probably be a _Wakandan_ thing."

While she and Strange had put together the counteractive for the herbal cocktail that Peter had been slipped, Shuri had explained to Stark, Pepper and Natasha what they had been told by the Jabari noble – and the reasons given. Tony hadn't been pleased, obviously, but he was still pretty numb about the whole thing. He didn't want _retribution_, he wanted Peter back.

"It is an _honor_ thing," Shuri corrected, moving away from the table and looking down at her friend. "Once we make sure he is stable, we will be able to move him to a more comfortable bed. My mother reminded us that you have not eaten, and suggested you would not want to leave Peter to dine with her. We will have a meal brought here, if that is acceptable?"

"Yes, thank you."

"But," the princess added with a slight smile. "She _will_ want to be presented to Stephen and Natasha in the morning, as she has not, yet, met them."

"Sounds fair," Strange agreed.

The princess turned to Tony.

"I will leave you for a while," she said. "To give you a chance to relax and spend time with each other – and with Peter. Please do not hesitate to call me if you need anything. The guard outside the door can reach me."

"Thanks, Shuri."

The girl nodded and left, and Tony sighed and sat down on the edge of Peter's 'bed' next to Pepper, who reached for his hand with the one not already entwined with Peter's.

"We're sure this counteractive is going to work, Stephen?" Pepper asked.

She didn't want to sound uncertain – especially in front of Shuri, to avoid her thinking that they doubted her capabilities – but it was _Peter_, after all, and she wanted to be certain.

"Yes." Strange and Natasha both moved over to the bed, as well, and the doctor pressed a hand gently against the boy's forehead, checking for a fever, of course, but also waiting to see if there was any reaction to the touch from the boy. The monitors could tell him if Peter was fevered, after all. "If Shuri didn't have such an impressive set up here, I would have suggested bringing him back to the compound for recovery. But he's fine here."

"We're pretty high up," Tony reminded him.

"Yes. I'm aware." Strange had seen Tony dive out of the window, after all, with no concern about anything other than Peter. "The hallucinations shouldn't linger once the cure starts taking effect. He'll be tired and a little groggy – maybe more than a little – but when the narcotics clear his system it's just going to be Peter's body doing what it needs to recover. We shouldn't have a repeat of any of the… more _interesting_ behavior."

"That's one way to put it," Pepper said, shaking her head.

Stark nodded and turned to Romanoff.

"You're okay being here?"

"Yes. Fury told you about Zihov looking for information about Peter?"

"He did. What do we do about that?"

She shrugged, leaning her hip against the table Peter was sleeping on.

"It can go a couple of ways," she said, rubbing her cheek, idly. "I could eliminate him – which might be a bit _extreme_, since we're not really sure _why_ he's looking for Peter, only who is trying to find him."

Which reminded all of them just how really dangerous Romanoff was, of course. Taking out the information man for the Russian mafia wasn't something that would be easy, but she obviously didn't think that she would have any trouble with it – no matter how many personal bodyguards he almost certainly had.

"We should probably avoid that, if we can," Tony said.

"Yeah. If he goes down, it might draw attention to Peter. We don't want that."

"Other options?"

"I could find him and ask him what he wants with Peter – or his alter-ego, in this case. If I do, though, then it'll instantly connect Spiderman to the Avengers, since it isn't a secret who I work for these days. That might draw attention to you. And then the connection might be easy for someone as bright as Zihov to make."

"Which might put Peter or his friends in real danger of being grabbed…"

"Right." She shrugged. "I don't think King is looking for Peter to _hurt_ him, truth be told. My guess is that he wants to talk to him about the rescue. There's a bit of an honor issue _there_, too. If he finds out who Spiderman is, he's going to have to acknowledge that Peter saved his life, and he'll _owe_ him."

Stark scowled.

"The less Peter has to do with the Russian mafia the better."

"I agree. So I'm still weighing what I want to do. There's no real hurry. I might wait a week or so and find out what – if anything – Zihov learns. Then I can decide what kind of actions I want to take."

"Whatever you think best," Tony told her, putting that entire matter into her more than capable hands. "Let me know if you need anything from me."

"I will."

A guard entered the room with a diffident knock, then, and Natasha went over to talk to her. Tony turned to Stephen.

"Anything we need to know about this counteragent stuff?"

"No. I'll take care of it. You concentrate on spending time with Peter."

The billionaire nodded.

"Yeah. We can do that."


	66. Chapter 66

T'Challa arrived with their dinner, Shuri once more at his side. Tony watched from Peter's side as a small army of guards and servants set up a table, complete with enough chairs for all of them, and then loaded the table with enough food for a small army. Which he was grateful for because suddenly he was _starving_. It seemed like days since the picnic out in the clearing. When the meal was ready, the servants and all of the guards except Okoye vacated the little room, and Tony convinced Pepper that she could leave Peter's side long enough to eat something.

"We can still see him," he reminded her, gently, reaching down and tenderly prizing her fingers from where they were intertwined with their son's. "If he wakes, we'll be right there."

She reluctantly went to the table and sat in the chair that he pulled out for her. One that afforded her a view of Peter's sleeping form. Tony took the spot beside her, also wanting that reassurance needed that would only come with visibly being able to see the 3D display of the boy's vitals.

"Shuri says he has been given the first round of the counteragent?" the young king said, glancing at the exam table as he sat down as well.

"He _has_. You and your sister have been incredibly accommodating, T'Challa," Tony said, pouring a cup of coffee for himself and watching as the king, himself, poured one and handed it to Pepper.

That was some serious service.

T'Challa frowned.

"You would not need any of this if not for the actions of Azuro," he pointed out. "This is a _terrible_ thing, Tony. It weighs heavily on my people – and my council."

"Where is the kid, now?" Romanoff asked, curiously.

"Sequestered in a room, here at the palace. He awaits his punishment – and is being given an opportunity to reflect on how our guests and allies are supposed to be treated."

"What will you do to him?" Pepper asked.

"It will depend on many things," T'Challa replied. "Peter's recovery being primary. Beyond that, since Peter is sixteen and old enough to be considered of age here, in Wakanda, it will be _his_ decision what will happen. Restitution will need to be made at the minimum. Traditionally, Peter could kill him for the injuries caused to his honor and to you and Tony."

Pepper paled at that, but Tony put his hand on hers for just a moment.

"We can assume that _that_ isn't going to happen," Stark pointed out. "If your tradition was _that_ strict, Peter would be marrying Shuri, here, also, right?"

The girl wasn't the only one that smiled. The first smile for many of them since the picnic.

"That is true, Tony. The resolution will wait. The boy is sequestered, but his mother and father are allowed to see him, so he is by no means being mistreated. Although _he_ might think that he is."

"Deservedly so," Shuri stated, reaching for a loaf of bread to begin cutting slices. "Peter deserved to be treated like a proper guest. This is appalling. Mother is furious."

T'Challa smiled at Pepper.

"She is already enamored of your son and tells me that she is tempted to discuss _Kaleem_ with you and Tony."

Shuri snorted, indelicately, her eyes twinkling in amusement.

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Tony said, taking a slice of bread from the girl.

"In the past, when a family had no male sons to carry on the line – either from accident or inability to bear one – the elders of that family would approach another family and discuss acquiring a son from _them_. They would pay handsomely, of course, to compensate for the loss of the boy. Many cows, or goats, or furs and textiles – sometimes even gold or rare gems, although it is usually livestock."

Stark smiled at Pepper.

"How many goats do you think we could get for him?"

Despite her almost constant worry, she had to smile at that, relieved that Tony was able to smile, too. He'd been so afraid, and as always, trying to hide that fear to keep her from being afraid, too.

"Cows give more _milk_, though."

"You'd know, farm girl." He handed her a slice of bread, too, and shook his head. "Sorry, T'Challa. You'll have to inform your mother that we only have the one son, and we're contractually obligated to keep him. I signed papers and everything, and this judge was a tough old bird. If I had to go back to New York and explain I traded him away for some goats and a _cow_… well… I'm not even sure what she'd do. I definitely don't want to risk it."

The king smiled as well.

"I will inform her thus." His expression grew a little more serious – well, _curious_ was probably a better word for it, as he served himself a few slices of meat and some vegetables. "Has he _always_ been able to do what he can do?" he finally asked, looking for an opening to have his questions about Peter answered. "Before he came to live with you, even?"

"No. Not always. But, yes, he was doing it before he lost his aunt." The billionaire looked at Shuri. "Recordings off, please."

The girl rolled her eyes, but nodded. She lifted her hand, and a 3D representation of her lab came up in her palm. A few entered commands and FRIDAY was able to verify in Tony's glasses that there no video or audio instruments recording them. He took his glasses off with a somewhat tired sigh, and rubbed his face, thinking that he could really use a shower – and a shave. He was feeling scruffy.

"This is really _Peter's_ story to tell, but it's a painful one for him, so _not_ one that he will share. You two deserve to know – but it's not something that _we_-" and by that he meant the Avengers and him and Pepper, personally –"Want to have shared. For several reasons."

"We will keep it to ourselves," T'Challa assured Stark.

Shuri nodded her agreement. Tony looked at Okoye, who scowled. Secrets were something she only kept when she wanted to. Security was her responsibility and having a secret that might need to be shared wasn't something she liked the thought of.

"You can't stay if you can't give your word," Stark told her. "Sorry."

He had her well pegged, though, Okoye realized. If she wanted to know Peter's secret, she would have to vow to not reveal it. And once given, her word was kept. _She_ could stay, or go, it was her choice. But Peter's secret would not leave the room.

"You have my word."

She had to know.

Tony nodded his acceptance of that, and over the course of the meal shared a bit of Peter's backstory. Information that very few people knew. Not _all_ of it, of course. Some of it was personal – like the boy's relationship with his aunt. Those were things that only Peter could tell. But Shuri already knew how much Peter had loved May; he told her without words every time he mentioned the woman in conversation. They were told of the bite, though, and the apparent melding of the spider DNA that allowed the boy to do some amazing things, and gave him his extraordinary abilities. And how Peter had decided even before meeting Tony and the Avengers that he wanted to try and do good with his newfound abilities.

"A hero born," T'Challa said with a slight smile.

"Even before the lab and the spider," Stark told them, relating how Peter had stood up to one of the runaway tech monsters at the expo when he was so much younger and absolutely outgunned.

At their request he used Shuri's palm display to show them the actual video, even, and the Wakandans weren't the only ones to smile at the sight of the little boy standing toe to toe with the machine. Strange hadn't seen the video before, and made a mental note to ask for a copy to show Wong. It was something the other magician would be interested in seeing, and confirmed the conclusion the two sorcerers had already come to regarding the boy.

"That explains why he was able to carry the rhinoceros calf," Shuri said. "And outrun its mother. But not how he knew about T'Challa's black panther habit – or how he knows everything."

"He doesn't know _everything_," Tony answered with a shrug. "He's a teenager, though, so he thinks he does, and was out of his mind enough to actually state it." He winked at the girl, aware that _she_ was a teen, as well, and almost certainly thought the same. "He knows a lot, though. He has access to FRIDAY and my network, through Karen, who as you know, is his AI back in his room in the compound. He's constantly looking up information, and probably learned it through that. Especially once he met you and T'Challa. I know the search history is the Avenger compound is loaded with Wakanda, now."

"It _is_ possible that the herbs in the infusion allowed his mind to access the most subconscious levels," Shuri supposed. "That _is_ one of the uses of them – to allow the traditional shaman to access their minds in ways that most cannot."

"I don't have the memory that he does, anyway," Stark said. "But I am interested in this black panther thing." He looked at T'Challa. "Care to share? Or is it a secret, too?"

The king of Wakanda shook his head with a smile.

"If it is, and your son already knows it, then it is not much of a secret, is it?"

Shuri looked at Strange.

"Do you know?" she asked.

"Yes. But then, I have access to an incredible amount of information – and a friend who loves to share that knowledge with anyone who will listen. Which is usually just _me_."

"Someone tell me," Tony said, lightly. "Or I swear my head is going to explode, right here, all over all of you. It will _not_ be pretty."

T'Challa's smile was amused.

"It is a part of our history, Tony. But it will take time to tell."

Stark gestured to the boy on the table close by.

"I'm not going anywhere for a while."


	67. Chapter 67

Natasha was with him the first time he woke.

Still on the exam table, and still in restraints to protect himself – and those around him – he groaned when he opened his eyes, and looked around, and she saw his arm tense when he tried to reach his hand to his head.

"Easy, baby," she said, moving from the side of the table where she had been sitting to take a position right at his head, leaning over him so she was all he saw when he looked up – hopefully to avoid him panicking at the restrictions still in place.

"Natasha…"

His expression was a blend of several different attributes all warring for domination at the moment. Exhaustion, confusion and uncertainty winning out to show the clearest.

"Hey…"

"Where am I?"

"Wakanda."

"Tony?"

"He's around. Him and Pepper, both. They went to get some rest."

"I killed Pepper?"

"What? No. Why would you _think_ that?"

He frowned, his expression still lost.

"Tony said it. Shuri, and Pepper and _me_. I killed us _all_…"

"No. _You're_ alive, and _so_ are Shuri and Pepper."

A tear ran down his temple and into his hair. Not a frightened one; she still didn't see any panic in his expressive brown eyes, but definitely a tear.

"I don't know what's going on…"

Romanoff brushed her lips carefully against his forehead and used her thumb to wipe the tear away.

"It's okay," she crooned, sliding her hands along his cheeks to palm them, holding his head still and forcing him to meet her gaze. His brown eyes watched her, locked onto her much lighter ones. "You're sick, Peter. But you're _really_ close to getting better. Maybe you need a little more sleep…"

"I'm _tired_…"

"I know, baby."

She could hear it in his voice and see it written all over his expression.

"You'll stay with me?"

"Yes. If I'm not here, it's only because Tony or Pepper are with you, instead."

He nodded, and closed his eyes. She thought he'd fallen asleep when he spoke up.

"Natasha?"

"Hmmm?"

"You love me?"

"You know I do."

"Yeah."

He sighed.

"I hope Buttercup is okay…"

She frowned. She'd heard the name before, but none of them had ever heard it before coming to Wakanda, and it wad a mystery to all of them.

"Who _is_ Buttercup, Peter?" she asked.

There wasn't an answer, though. He'd fallen asleep on her.

Romanoff scowled.

"Damn it."

She was smiling, though, when she reclaimed the spot on the edge of the table. He'd tell her, eventually. She just had to be patient.

OOOOOO

"You think he's okay?"

"Yes."

"What if he needs us?"

"Then Natasha will call you and let you know."

"Yeah."

"She needs time with him, too. You know that."

"I know."

"You can't be hogging Peter all to yourself."

"Yeah. I know."

He'd like to, though.

"Besides," Pepper told him. "_I_ need time with _you_, too."

He held her closely, the two of them in their bed in the suite. There wasn't a bed in Shuri's lab and when Pepper had dozed off in Tony's arms while sitting on the edge of Peter's examination table, Strange had sent them both to their own room to get some sleep. He hadn't listened to either of them tell him that they were fine, either. Had just pointed out that he and Natasha were more than capable of watching one sleeping boy – and since he was still securely restrained, there was no danger of a repeat of the window thing, either.

They'd grumbled, but he didn't cave. _They_ weren't two-year-old Peter, after all, and aside from Natasha's lovely eyes, that boy was the only thing that could make him change his mind when it was set. So they'd gone to bed. But they weren't quite asleep yet.

"Go to sleep, honey," he told her, arms around her and her head tucked just right under his chin. "We'll get to spend all day with him, tomorrow."

OOOOOOO

When they walked into Shuri's lab early the next morning, they found Natasha sitting on the edge of Peter's examination table. The boy was awake and while he was still clearly secured to the bed, Tony was relieved to see that there wasn't any tension in his body as they walked up. Stephen was sitting in a chair that almost certainly hadn't been there when Tony and Pepper had gone to bed the evening before. His feet were propped up on the table and his expression was one of long-suffering.

"Knock. Knock."

Romanoff looked over at Tony and rolled her eyes before looking down at the boy on the bed.

"Who's there?"

"A herd."

"A herd, who?"

"A herd you were home, so I came over."

Natasha shook her head, but she smiled.

"My turn?"

"Yeah."

"Knock. Knock."

"Who's there?" Peter asked.

"Dwayne."

"Dwayne, who?"

"Dwayne the bath tub, I'm dwowning."

The boy smiled up at her.

"That's a new one."

"Only if it's the first time you've heard it."

"What's going on?" Tony asked, walking over and looking down at Peter. His eyes were open and he looked fairly cheerful, but his vitals – according to the 3D display were still a bit off. Not to mention, he almost looked like he was _drunk_.

"We're telling knock, knock jokes," Romanoff answered, moving to the side so that Peter could still see her, but giving Tony and Pepper room to greet their boy.

"Oh." He leaned down and pressed a kiss against Peter's cheek. "Good morning, son."

"Hey, Tony. Knock. Knock."

"Who's there?"

"Canoe."

"Canoe who?"

"Canoe help me with my homework?"

Pepper smiled at Strange's reaction, and leaned down to kiss Peter, as well.

"Hi, sweetheart."

"Hi."

"How do you feel?"

"Okay. Thirsty?"

"He _should_ be thirsty," Stephen said, handing a glass of water with a straw to Pepper so that she could help Peter take a drink. "They've been telling each other knock, knock jokes for the last _three hours_."

"Really?"

"I know a million of them," Natasha admitted. "I think Peter's getting some help, though, because some are pretty obscure."

"I know everything," the boy replied.

"And there's the proof we need that he isn't completely back, yet."

"From where?" Peter asked, curiously.

Strange rolled his eyes – again.

"Knock. Knock, Peter."

"Who's there?"

"Ima."

"Ima who?"

"Imma going to go find some coffee and a warm bed and leave you to spend some time with you mom and dad." With that, the doctor got to his feet and leaned over and held the boy's cheek with his hand. "I'll see you in a little while, alright?"

Peter nodded.

"Okay."

Strange looked at Stark.

"Some of the side effects we were warning you about. He's not hurting, and he's just a little talkative. Don't be worried if he falls asleep at the drop of a hat, and don't take anything that he says with a grain of salt. He's been babbling like a brook in between jokes."

"Got you."

"Shuri was in earlier. She'll be back any time. If you need anything, call me."

"We will. Thanks."

Natasha bent over and pressed a kiss against Peter's cheek.

"Need anything, baby?"

"Ice cream?"

She smiled, looking over at Tony and Pepper, shaking her head before turning her attention to the boy.

"We'll see what they say before we give you anything to _eat_, I think. Okay?"

"Yeah."

"You can wait?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I'll see you soon."

They left, and Pepper and Tony sat on their respective edges of the bed.

"Tony…?"

"Yeah, son?"

"Knock. Knock…"

Stark smiled, shaking his head.

"Who's there?"

He was doomed, because he didn't know very many of them. Hopefully Pepper could help him.


	68. Chapter 68

Peter was awake when Shuri arrived back at the lab. She smiled a good morning to Pepper and Tony, who were seated on either edge of the exam table, each of them holding one of Peter's hands – which were no longer wrapped into fists, so he could hold them as well.

"Good morning, Tony. Good morning, Pepper. How did you sleep?"

"Well, thanks. Yourself?"

"Fine. Peter?"

"Yeah? I don't know if I slept," he admitted.

"You _did_." Her smile did a lot to reassure Tony and Pepper about his condition. "How do you feel, right now?"

"I'm _tired_."

"Would you like to sit up for a while?"

"Yes. Please."

Tony looked at her, but she nodded as she deactivated the force bracelets that held his wrists and the one across his stomach.

"It is safe, Tony. He is no longer hallucinating, and should not panic." She put her hand under Peter's shoulder, to help him up. "Not too quickly," she cautioned, as he sat up and looked around, and immediately wrapped his arms around Pepper.

She held him, against her, and Shuri smiled at the obvious love that the three had for each other – and their willingness to demonstrate it. Not everyone did, after all.

"He is not, yet, recovered, Tony," Shuri told Peter's father. "But it is probably safe for him to be upright for a while. If you are alright with it, I will have a meal sent here, so you can eat breakfast with him."

"We'd appreciate it."

"I will return in a while. If you need me, please ask a guard to call me."

"Thanks."

She left, and Tony came around the table to stand beside Pepper, brushing his hand against her cheek. Peter had buried his face against her shirt, and she heard a soft murmured _momma_ just as she felt his hand reach for her breast. Chuckling because she knew exactly where that came from, she kissed his cheek and then pulled away.

"You _probably_ ought to tag in," she told Tony, moving the boy's hand with a gentle touch. "I have a feeling his little buddy is taking advantage of his state of mind, right now, and is making himself known…"

Tony smiled, and smoothly exchanged places with her, gathering Peter into his arms and tucking the boy's head under his chin.

"Hey, Peter," he murmured, softly. "How do you feel?"

The hand came up, brushing unerringly against Tony's jawline as he'd been trying to do since they'd pinned him to his bed.

"_Daddy_…" he mumbled into Tony neck.

"Oh, Peter…"

Tony smiled over at Pepper as his arms tightened on the boy. Both of them were fighting back tears, but neither tried to hide them from the other. It wasn't the same as when they were worried, after all, and trying to keep the other from being worried, too. Pepper ran her fingers through Tony's hair and he freed a hand to hold her close as well. Not _too_ close, though; Peter had a good reach, after all, and the toddler was a lot less inhibited when it came to going for what he wanted, after all.

OOOOOO

They were still in that position when their breakfast arrived, set up by a few servers, who greeted them with cheerful hellos and good mornings. Tony tried to let Peter go, but he was well embedded by then and for the moment had no intention of releasing his father. Stark decided that it wasn't just that the toddler was happy to be held, but it probably was also a combination of Peter not being able to hold them earlier when he'd tried. An interesting combination for sure, and he had to shake his head when the servers all left them to their meal, but Pepper was the only one who could get to the table.

"Go ahead and eat," he told her with an amused smile as she sat down, making sure to take a position that would allow her to watch the two of them. "We're fine like this for a while."

He'd get tired, eventually, or Peter would manage to reacquire control of things. Tony didn't mind; he'd hold Peter all day if that was what the boy wanted. He certainly preferred it to any of the alternatives.

"You okay?" he murmured, turning his head and kissing Peter's temple.

"Yeah…"

"Hungry?"

"No."

He shrugged. Maybe it wasn't all the toddler, after all. Pepper walked over with a plate in her hand and they sat on the examination table, her handing Tony his breakfast a bite at a time, and Tony holding Peter, who clung to him for almost a full half an hour before he finally fell asleep.

OOOOOOO

"You're home early."

"Yeah. Marie didn't like being away from home, so we came home."

"Is she all right?"

"She's over the sore. Still a bit dicey about being near the water."

"They did an estimate on your car. It's probably repairable. The guy said if it'd gone all the way to the bottom of the harbor they never would have got it out in time to save the engine or the body."

"Another thing I owe the spider for, huh? Did you find him, yet?"

Zihov shook his head.

"The kid's a _ghost_, Joel. No one knows anything – and no one's seen him since that night."

"Think he hurt himself?"

"I think someone is watching out for him. Someone a lot older – or a lot better at keeping secrets than some kid would be. Probably having him stay low for a while."

"Why would they do that?"

"Because they know I'm looking for him."

"Ah. And they think I want to _hurt_ him."

"That's all I can think of."

"I guess that's understandable." The man was silent for a minute, thinking, and then he shrugged. "I still owe him. You need to find him for me."

"I will. It's just a matter of time. If he's really a kid, he's going to make a mistake, eventually, and I'll have him."

"What if we made it clear that we didn't want to hurt him? Gave my word that we just wanted to talk to him?"

"Would you believe you?" Alex asked, pointedly.

The other man snorted, amused and frustrated at the same time. He just wanted to talk to the kid, for crying out loud.

"I suppose it would depend on who I am. Someone who doesn't have any reason to understand my honor? No, probably not. Another family member? Maybe."

"If it was my kid I was maybe protecting – hiding – I wouldn't trust the word of anyone. But we can give it a try. It can't hurt – and I might learn something even if all I hear is silence."

"Yeah. Go for it, then. Do you have any ideas – any hunches – who's hiding the kid?"

"Someone wealthy enough not to care about the money I've offered, or scary enough to keep others from wanting to collect. There are a lot of wealthy people in town. Not as many scary ones."

"Kid's a _superhero_, right?" King asked. "Maybe you should find another superhero? They team up, right?"

"There aren't that many actual superheroes, Joel," his friend pointed out. "I thought about that and specifically had one of my guys mention my interest to a known SHIELD agent – even though he doesn't know we know he's one. I _really_ expected someone to contact me to tell me to back off – which would have given me an idea of if the kid's an Avenger – but he's small time compared to them, so I'm leaning away from that, now."

"Nothing?"

"Not, yet." The man shrugged. "Give me a little while. He's a tough little nut to crack, but I'll find him."

"You do that, Alex. Thanks."

"Yeah."


	69. Chapter 69

Natasha and Strange appeared not long after breakfast had been finished and cleared away by the servers. They were both smiling, cheerfully, when they walked in and Natasha's smile broadened when she saw Peter sitting up on the table with his head buried against the front of Tony's shirt.

"He's _upright_," she said, brushing a hand along the boy's back, and not surprised to find that he was asleep. They'd been up late with their knock, knock jokes, after all. "That's a good sign."

"Yes." Tony looked at Stephen. "He wouldn't eat, though."

The sorcerer shrugged.

"He _will_. The nanotech that's keeping him stable is keeping him nourished, as well, you know. When we get him into a bed and away from that support, he'll be ready to eat. And be prepared for a serious case of the munchies after the high he's been on."

"But _you_ wouldn't know anything about that, right?" Stark asked with a smirk.

Strange's eyes were amused, the rest of his expression intentionally innocent and shocked.

"Of course not. No more than yourself."

Both men snickered.

"Did _you_ eat?" Pepper asked Natasha, rolling her eyes.

"We dined with T'Challa, Shuri and their mother and were presented to Ramonda," Romanoff replied. "She asked after Peter, and said to remind you if you need anything, you only need to ask for it."

"That woman might be a problem, Tony," Strange told him, still amused. "T'Challa was right; she likes Peter. I'm sure if she had her way, the lot of you would be packing up your Ironman suits, your Stark Industries portfolios and your little yellow and white kitten and would be moving out here, instead."

Tony chuckled, looking at the sleeping boy who was still in the protective embrace of his arms.

"It's a nice place to visit, but I'm pretty sure – geographically – that it wouldn't really work out for any of us."

Pepper nodded her agreement, but before she could say anything Shuri made an appearance at the door, walking in and smiling a greeting to everyone.

"I came to check on my patient," she said, walking over and brushing her hand against Peter's cheek. "Has he been asleep long?"

"Since breakfast."

"Good. Any signs of panic or uncertainty?"

She was looking at her 3D readouts while asking, watching as her system retrieved the history of the past few hours even as Pepper answered.

"No. He's calm. Answered a few simple questions with one-word answers and went to sleep."

Shuri looked at Strange, acknowledging that while it was her lab, and her equipment, he was the experienced doctor – and _Peter's_ doctor at that. "I think it should be fine to allow him to complete his recovery in his bed. Do you agree?"

"Yes."

"_Supervised_, however," Shuri added. "It would be unwise to leave him alone until we are certain there are no lingering behaviors."

"We'll stay close by," Tony assured her.

OOOOOO

He roused once, when they moved him from Shuri's lab to the suite that he was sharing with Tony and Pepper. On a levitating gurney with a phalanx of them around him to keep him from rolling off, he opened his eyes, confused.

"What's happening?"

Tony was quick to reassure. His hand had already been on the gurney next to Peter's head, it was a simple matter to brush his cheek.

"We're putting you to bed. It's okay. Close your eyes…"

Looking up while being pushed around while flat on your back could be disconcerting, he knew. The last thing they wanted was to trigger any kind of panic this close to the finish line.

Peter did what he was told, but his hand came up blindly, reaching for him, and Tony caught it, smoothly, as he'd done a hundred times before.

"I'm okay?"

"You're fine."

Reassured, he drifted off to sleep again. He was so tired.

OOOOOO

Soft conversation woke him, next. Tony asking something and then Pepper replying. A light chuckle and a snort that Pepper sometimes couldn't control when Tony did something that amused her. The sound made Peter smile, even as he stirred. They were happy, then, and that made him happy.

"Hey, sweetheart…"

That was Pepper. Peter knew he was in a bed. He could feel the soft mattress under him. Could feel that he was being held by both of them, as well, although since there were noticeable difference, he knew his face was pressed up against Tony's chest and it was Pepper who was behind him, and that it was her hand sliding up and down his back.

"Hey…"

He hadn't opened his eyes, yet, but there was no hurry. He was trying to remember what had happened. Why he was where he was.

"Peter? Are you going back to sleep?" Tony asked.

"Did I sleepwalk?"

"No."

He couldn't remember what happened, but a series of images flashed through his mind. Not _his_ memories, but memories _of_ him. Disjointed and ridiculous. Him diving out of a window, only to be caught by Ironman. Stuck to a table and unable to move. Pinned down like an experiment or something. Fear and anxiety – but those _were_ his own. Him running by someone – or _several_ someones – being chased by a rhinoceros. Two of them. With Buttercup in his arms, squealing.

He shuddered, and felt the arms holding him tighten, and a blanket being pulled up even closer around him.

"Shhh… you're okay."

"Yeah." Peter opened his eyes, found himself looking at the arc reactor at Tony's chest, and then turned his head to look up at them. They looked a little tired, and concerned, but they had been happy, so he thought they were just worried about him waking up. "I'm fine."

Pepper reached out and touched his cheek.

"How do you feel, Peter?"

"Tired. A little confused? I keep seeing things… but they're so… off?"

"Like what?" Tony asked.

Peter recoiled, just a little.

"You were mad at me…" he said, looking up at Tony. "Cause I killed Pepper with a rhino. And…" he frowned, looking down at himself. "I killed me with one? I'm _sorry_."

Tony hugged him, close, and pressed his cheek against the top of Peter's head.

"I wasn't mad – and you didn't kill anyone. I was scared for you."

"I was tied to the table," Peter mumbled, and now he was shaking in Tony's embrace, as the memories were flooding through him. "And I tried to get up but I couldn't and I just wanted to hold you guys, but I couldn't. I kept saying I was sorry, but-"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Peter," Stark assured him, as Pepper put her cheek against Peter's, adding the support that she knew he needed, cutting off the panic before it could begin to build. "It was a lot of crazy things happening all at once, and none of them were on you. _We're_ not angry and _you're_ absolutely fine. Got it?"

He trembled, still, but the words – and more importantly, the _touch_ – of the two reassured him.

"You're okay? I didn't hurt anyone…?"

He seemed to remember a running battle against Tony and Stephen.

"Everyone's fine."

"Do you hurt, Peter?" Pepper asked, gently, her lips right up against his ear where he couldn't miss the soft question.

"No. I'm just tired."

"Hungry?" Tony asked.

"No."

"Then go to sleep, son," Stark told him. "We can talk more when you feel better."

Peter closed his eyes, exhausted.

"You'll stay?"

"You know we will."

He slept.


	70. Chapter 70

When Peter woke, next, he was aware of many things almost all at once. He was warm – because he was comfortably settled in between Pepper and Tony, with his head resting against his father's chest. He was more clear-headed than he could remember being in what might have been a very long time. He wasn't tied up, or in an uncomfortable position flat on his back, and he was almost certainly in a _bed_, and not on a table.

These were all things he knew without even opening his eyes. When he _did_ open his eyes, he confirmed his position next to Tony, simply because he could see the nano-housing unit glowing softly through the shirt Tony was wearing. He still couldn't technically verify that it was _Pepper_ on the other side of him, but there were only two women who would cuddle with him like this, and Natasha didn't smell like Pepper's favorite perfume, so it had to be her.

He shifted, carefully, in their embrace, not wanting to wake them if they were sleeping, but stiff and a little sore from being in the position that he was in for so long – which told him that he probably had been sleeping for quite a while.

"Awake?" Tony asked, proving that waking them wasn't something he needed to worry about.

They were _both_ awake, apparently, because Pepper moved behind him, as well.

"Yeah." He took the opportunity to lift his head and look around, deciding that he was in the room in the palace. The spear was still leaning against the wall and his polymorph was on the stand next to the bed they were all in. He glanced at Tony and frowned, and then looked over his shoulder at Pepper. "Are you guys all right?"

"Yes," she told him, sitting more upright, as well, and brushing his hair back from his forehead with a relieved looking smile. "How do you feel?"

"Good." He said. "_Hungry_."

As if to confirm that, his stomach suddenly growled. Loudly.

Pepper laughed as Peter blushed in embarrassment at his impatient belly.

"We've been waiting for that," she assured him, getting out of the bed. "I'll go find you something to eat."

"Thanks." He was much too hungry to pretend to be patient enough to wait for whatever meal was coming up, next. Peter looked back at Tony, who was sitting up now, as well, and was watching him from the edge of his bed. He hadn't imagined it the first time he'd seen him; Tony had a black eye and a bruise on his cheek, as well as a cut below the bruise. Clear-minded, now, Peter was almost certain that he had something to do with the injuries – although the memories were fleeting. "Did I do that?"

Stark smiled, silently reassuring him that everything was fine.

"Beat me up."

"Not on purpose."

"Of course not. How's the head? Any aches or pains?"

"No."

"Any weird dreams?"

"No. I had the _planet_ dream."

Which was the one that seemed to be a default for him. Undoubtedly from the Mind stone whenever it wanted him to relax, it was always the same; images of the darkness of space, with planets drifting in that vastness, slowly turning on their axis, doing nothing more violent than changing their seasons. Peter had mentioned it to Pepper and Tony several times, so they knew to associate it with relaxing sleep – because he never woke from it anything but relaxed and peaceful.

"Good. Do you remember anything?"

"It comes and goes in flashes…" Peter admitted. "I see me doing things – _crazy_ things – I just don't understand _why_ I was doing what I did…"

"That's not surprising," Tony told him. "But we'll talk about it once you've had a chance to eat, and we get you on your feet for a while. You've been in bed too long for your own good. Okay?"

"Yeah."

Before they could say anything else, the door to the bedroom opened, again, and Pepper returned with a small army of Wakandans bearing platters of food, pitchers of drinks of all sorts and implements, plates and cups. Peter looked down at himself to make sure he was dressed – because you never _knew_, sometimes – and then watched with interest as they set up a table close to the bed and loaded it with more food than Peter could have eaten alone – and more place sittings than he needed.

Pepper explained why as the servers finished setting several chairs around that table, as well.

"It's close to dinner time," she said as the servers left. "So, we're all just going to eat here. I didn't think Peter was quite up to facing T'Challa's court, just yet."

"No." Peter definitely agreed. "Thanks."

He got up to make his way to the table, but was forced to lean on Tony to get to the closest chair, blushing at just how wobbly he was, but amused by the fact that _they_ were amused. He much preferred them laughing at his expense than worrying about him. Just as Tony and Pepper were sitting down, Strange and Natasha also appeared and joined them, more than willing to forgo eating with the Wakandan royals in order to sit with the others. The servants must have been warned, because there were exactly five chairs set up around the table.

The boy noticed that Stephen looked a bit beat up, as well. Bruised face and a cut lip that had _I've been_ _in a fight_ written all over it. He tried to apologize, but the magician waved it off, pointing out that he hadn't knows what he was doing. The boy didn't argue. The food smelled too good, and he was too hungry. He dug into his meal, not noticing – or caring at the moment – that all four adults were carefully watching him eat.

Peter was too hungry to care about the scrutiny. He worked his way through the meal, listening to Tony and Strange telling him what had been done to him – and what little they knew as far as _why_ – but his focus was really on his dinner – and a bit of everyone else's, as well.

"If you eat that, I swear to God, I'm going to _hurl_…"

Peter looked at Tony, the piece of pie in his hand.

"What?"

"_Seriously_? That's the fifth slice of pie you've eaten…"

"No, it isn't."

"Yeah," Natasha said, amused. "It _is_."

"Plus, you had an entire plate of noodles."

"And three servings of the roast," Pepper added.

"It was _good_."

"You know it was goat, right?"

He hesitated, pie still in his hand.

"_Goat_? Really?"

"Yes."

The boy shrugged.

"It was _good_."

"You're going to be sorry _tomorrow_," Tony told him.

"I'm not going to throw up," Peter assured him. "I feel okay."

"I meant when there isn't any food left in Wakanda because you've _eaten_ it all."

Strange smiled, pulling the plate that held his own piece of pie back out of Peter's reach. Just in case.

"I _warned_ you that he'd be hungry."

Tony shook his head, watching with a shudder as the boy ate the piece of pie in three large bites, and then washed it down with another piece of the roast.

"This is a pretty extreme case of the munchies, wouldn't you say?"

"With his metabolism? I'm waiting for him to poke _you_, looking for the meaty pieces…"


	71. Chapter 71

There wasn't a lot of food left on the table when Peter finally pushed his plate away with a satisfied sigh.

"Finished?" Pepper asked, amused – and a little worried that it was all going to make an abrupt appearance any minute.

He had eaten all of _his_, of course, and the pie, and then for good measure had finished off the fruit salad from Natasha's plate when Romanoff had assured him that she was full. Then had turned to Pepper and given her a hearty dose of his big, brown eyes and had asked if she was going to finish her noodles.

"Yeah. It was pretty good."

"Did you even _taste_ it?" Tony asked, smiling, as he brushed Peter's bangs from his forehead, feeling for any fever, automatically.

"Yeah." Peter grinned, good-naturedly, well aware that he'd eaten a lot more than usual, but unable to even feel embarrassed. He'd been so _hungry_. "It was good," he repeated.

"Think you're ready to get some sleep?" Strange asked.

"I'm not tired." His eyes lit up. "I could go for a _walk_."

"Or… you could get a little more rest, first," Tony suggested, not quite ready to trust Peter's health to anything more active than eating a meal. "Maybe take it easy the rest of the night and see how it looks in the morning?"

"I feel okay. Really. _Please_? We wouldn't have to go far. Come on, dad, I've been in bed forever."

The brown eyes were so hopeful, and whether he knew it or not and had done it on purpose or not, Peter couldn't have set Tony up better to have absolutely no chance of denying him anything. Not once he'd called him dad, again. The billionaire looked at the others, well aware that he was about to cave.

"Stephen?"

"A short walk might settle his meal. That's assuming he can walk after eating half the planet."

Peter smiled at the teasing.

"I wasn't _that_ bad."

"It's a good thing you have a vibranium mine," Natasha said, just relieved to see him looking so cheerful and happy – and knowing it wasn't artificially induced. "Tony couldn't afford to keep feeding you if you put on another show like that."

Strange pushed his chair back and stood up.

"I'll take Peter for a walk," he offered. "Just to get an idea of how he's really doing before we go home."

The boy stood up, too, looking automatically at Tony and Pepper, who shrugged. Strange wouldn't let him walk too much and would make sure he didn't overdo anything. And if something happened, he was the best choice to be right there to fix it. _Medically_ speaking, anyway.

"Sounds good," Stark said, accepting that, but wondering if Strange had just left him and Pepper alone with Natasha for any particular reason, or if he just didn't want a large group of them walking the hallways of the palace. "Call if you need anything."

The sorcerer didn't respond to that, well aware that in normal situations Peter couldn't throw anything at him that he couldn't handle. A drug-induced high coupled with a panic attack didn't _really_ count, he added, mentally. He and Peter headed through the suite and then out the door, to be met by the guard, who nodded, courteously when they left the rooms.

"We're just going for a walk," Strange advised her – in case she wanted to have someone shadow them, or if they wanted to let Shuri know that Peter was up on his feet.

He thought that the princess would make for even more good company, if she arrived before the large meal he'd just finished finally got the better of Peter and sent him back to his bed for a good night's sleep.

"I will advise the others."

They headed down the corridor, and Strange put his hand, companionably, on Peter's shoulder.

"How do you feel? Aside from a little jittery?"

"How did you know I was jittery?" Peter asked, curiously.

"It's common," the doctor said, evasively. "Any headaches? I'm going to assume your stomach isn't bothering you or you wouldn't have eaten as much as you did."

"No. My head's fine. Stomach is okay. I'm a little stiff, but that feels like it's just because I was sleeping so much."

It wasn't the first time he'd been in bed for a long period of time, after all.

"Good."

They walked for a while, stopping at various pictures and other artwork that was on display in the alcoves of the halls they were walking through. As they had all noticed, the black panther was a primary source of inspiration for many of the items they saw. Peter liked it all. But he _did_ have other concerns that he wanted to address with Strange.

"Are Tony and Pepper okay?" Peter asked, since he had Stephen by himself. "Did I do anything that freaked them out? Something I should avoid mentioning? Or stay away from?"

"You dove out a window during your panic attack," Strange told him with a serious glance. "No webshooters – and even if you had them, you probably wouldn't have _used_ them. Tony went after you and caught you in the Ironman suit. I don't know for _certain_, but stay clear of any of the balconies for a while, all right? Or don't be surprised if he tenses if you do get close to one."

"Yeah…" That was exactly what he was trying to find out. "Being high isn't much fun, is it?"

"Someone with your particular skillset probably shouldn't imbibe, no." He ruffled his fingers through the boy's hair, affectionately. "I don't know if it reflects on how you would act if you were _inebriated_, but you probably should steer clear of anything too alcoholic, as well."

"I will," Peter assured him.

"_Peter!"_

They both stopped at the call, and turned to see Shuri was coming down the hallway toward them. She was dressed down, for her, wearing the jeans and Captain America t-shirt that she'd worn when they'd played putt-putt back before the wedding. Peter smiled and caught her hug, cheerfully, when she reached him.

"Hey."

"How are you feeling?" she asked, letting him go but watching him, intently.

Peter was used to that kind of scrutiny. He got it all the time from the others, after all.

"I'm fine. Thanks to you and Stephen."

"You had me so worried. And my brother is _livid_. We-"

"Because I was sick?"

"Because of _why_ you were sick," she corrected.

"That isn't something we need to worry about right now, though," Strange interrupted. "Peter's taking a walk to settle his dinner, Shuri. Perhaps you'd care to join us?"

She smiled, realizing that the doctor was right. They didn't want to stress Peter right after he was allowed out of bed. The discussion would need to be had, but not just then. Azoru could wait another day.

"I would love to. Thank you."

"Maybe you can tell us about some of the motifs we have been looking at," Strange added, taking a spot on the other side of Peter and watching, amused, as Shuri's hand found Peter's almost automatically.

"Of course."

OOOOOOO

"Why do I get the feeling that was a calculated divide and conquer move?" Pepper said to Natasha as soon as the door closed behind Stephen and Peter.

The spy smiled.

"It wasn't calculated," she replied. "But it's convenient. I do want to discuss something – and if Peter isn't here, all the better."

"Is it the mafia guy?" Tony asked.

"Joel King is his name," Romanoff said. "He's the one Peter saved. Him and his wife, Marie."

"Did you decide what you want to do?"

"King just put out word through his information man that he's only interested in Peter – in _Spiderman_ – because he wants to _talk_ to him. He's given his word that no harm will come to him, if he comes to talk."

"What does he _want_?"

She shrugged.

"I'm not sure."

"Do you think he really means it when he isn't interested in hurting Peter?" Pepper asked.

"If it's coming from him, directly, then _yes_. He's deadly, but he has his own honor code. I'm not so willing to believe that the word _is_ coming from King, however. Last we knew, he and his wife were out of the country."

"What's the next step?" Tony asked.

"I'm going to go home and deal with this, one way or the other, while we still have Peter out of the country and well away from it all. A word with the right person will tell me just what King wants – and what we need to do to protect Peter."

"What person?" Pepper asked, curiously.

Romanoff smiled.

"_King_, of course."


	72. Chapter 72

Shuri walked them back to the door of the suite after a short time spent walking the hallways of the palace. They may have been out longer, but Strange had suggested that maybe they don't want Tony and Pepper to worry, and Peter had immediately agreed. There was plenty of time to walk and socialize the next day, after all.

She smiled and said that she would see the at breakfast the next day, and had vanished as Peter and Stephen hesitated at the door.

"Are you and Natasha going home, then?" Peter asked.

"Probably after breakfast, tomorrow. You guys have a vacation to finish up, and _we_ have things that need doing."

"Thanks for coming, though, Stephen."

"You're welcome. Keep yourself out of trouble, though, the rest of the trip. Alright?"

"I will."

They let themselves into the rooms and found Natasha, Tony and Pepper sitting in the main living area, lounging on the comfortable furniture. Tony and Natasha were playing chess under Pepper's watchful eyes. Probably making sure Tony didn't get too competitive and start trying to wager things, Peter decided as he crossed the room and sat beside Pepper, smiling a greeting to all three of them.

"You were gone a lot longer than I expected," Tony said, moving his bishop before reaching out and brushing his hand across the boy's forehead. "Everything okay?"

They both _looked_ okay, he decided.

"Shuri came and joined our walk," Peter explained, waiting for Stark to drop his hand and then hugging Pepper. "We got distracted by some of the artwork in the hallways."

"You can't _keep_ her," Tony reminded him, amused. "She's a princess, here, and we don't have any thrones back at the compound. She'd be out of her element and miserable."

Peter chuckled, watching as Natasha took the bishop and put her queen in danger of being caught by Tony's rook. Strange sat down beside her, touching her leg in greeting but not distracting her more than that – just in case she lost and tried to blame him.

"I doubt she'd want to _stay_. I'm not enough of a prize to give all this up for."

"Don't sell yourself short," Romanoff told him, looking up from the board. "You're definitely top twenty bachelor material, once you're old enough."

"Only top twenty?" Peter echoed. "Tony was top _five_."

"He can grow a _beard_."

Peter grinned.

"I'm going to go to bed."

"Feeling tired?" Tony asked, looking up, again.

"A little. But just _tired_. Not warm. Not loopy. Not even high strung or anything."

"Mentally?" Pepper asked.

"I'm fine," he assured them all. "I know I'm me, and no weird thoughts are going through my head."

"Okay, then," Tony said, shrugging. "Keep it that way. Good night, Ninja. We'll see you in the morning for breakfast."

"Okay."

Peter hugged Tony, trying to apologize for all the worry that he'd caused him in that one single gesture, and Tony returned the hug, silently telling him he'd have gone through twice as much just to keep him safe and sound. He hugged Natasha, too, just because, and _then_, just for good measure and because he knew Strange wasn't that fond of public displays of affection and he was feeling just a little impish, he hugged the sorcerer, too.

The doctor rolled his eyes, well aware of what Peter was doing, but hugged him back, and tousled his hair for good measure.

"Good night."

The boy went into his bedroom, closing the door behind him, and three sets of eyes turned to Strange.

"Well?"

"He's fine. I had a chance to talk to him before Shuri joined us, and his head is on right, again. Physically, I didn't see any strain and he interacted with the others we met in the hallways normally."

"Normally for _Peter_, anyway," Natasha added with a smile.

"Right."

"Good. You guys are leaving in the morning?" Tony asked.

"Yes. We'll pay our respects to T'Challa and his family and then quietly leave the same way we came once we find a private place to do it."

"You could always finagle an invitation to stay," Pepper pointed out.

"Next time," Natasha told her, smiling at the sincerity in the invitation. She moved her knight and looked at Stark. "Checkmate."

He scowled.

"Damn it."

OOOOOOOO

"What are you doing?"

"_Getting ready to go to lunch with my mom and sister. You?"_

"I'm in bed. I just thought I'd call."

"_I'm glad you did. Are you having a good time? Anything interesting going on?"_

"Yeah, this place is nice. It's warm, though, but they don't really have a winter, so it'd be hot no matter when we came."

"_You didn't get a sunburn, did you?"_

"No. I'm smarter than that. You saw Tony and Pepper's faces in that screen shot I showed you."

"_Good_." There was a pause. "_I like my men smart – and ghoulishly pale."_

Peter laughed, blushing and glad she couldn't see it. They had face time capabilities, but he couldn't remember if there was a charge that would have gone to her parents' bill if they utilized it, and hadn't risked it when he'd called her. Hearing her voice was good enough.

"Well, that's _me_."

"_Did you see the baby zebra?"_

"I did. He's cute. I'll send you pictures, later."

He hadn't really had a chance to do any of that, or check emails.

"_Okay."_

"I'll let you go. If you talk to Ned before I do, tell him I said hi."

"_You're bringing me back a souvenir, right?"_

"Yeah. Of course. I'll bring one for Ned, too."

"_I miss you."_

Now he blushed, furiously, but he smiled, even though she couldn't see that, either.

"I miss you, too. Good night."

The call went dead, just as he heard his door open. Peter turned and saw Tony peek his head into the room. When he saw that Peter was awake, Stark entered completely, closing the door behind him.

"You're supposed to be _asleep_," he said, walking over and sitting on the edge of Peter's bed.

The boy saw that he was dressed for bed, himself, and realized it was later than he'd thought. He'd been pretty distracted, and not just with the call to MJ.

"Oh. Yeah, I was just making a call." He held up the phone.

Tony didn't miss the blush – or the goofy smile.

"MJ?"

Now the blush was back, full force.

"Yeah."

"How's she doing?"

"She's fine. Going to lunch with her mom. Reminded me to get her a souvenir."

"They don't have any gift shops here," Tony pointed out. "You'll have to find something other than a postcard or a shot glass."

"I'll ask Shuri what she'd like."

"Smart." Tony reached out and took the phone from Peter's hand. "Go to sleep, okay? I'd feel better knowing you had a full night's rest under your belt in the morning."

"Yeah. I will. You too."

Stark hugged him.

"I will."

"Night, dad."

"Good night, son."

Tony kissed his cheek, his facial hair brushing against Peter's cheek, and the boy absently brushed his fingertips against his jaw. Then he watched as Tony got up and left, closing the door firmly behind him. He reached for his phone, and sent an email to MJ, sending photos of the baby zebra and its mother. Then he composed one to Ned, too, telling him about seeing the zebras and all of the other animals, and attaching photos so his friend wouldn't have to rely on MJ sharing the ones Peter sent her.

"_Go to bed, Peter! Or I'll come take it away."_

Guiltily, and realizing that Friday must have alerted Stark the network was still in use, Peter hit send and set the phone back down with a grin before closing his eyes and pulling his blankets all the way over his head.

_Dads_.


	73. Chapter 73

Peter caused a bit of a stir when he arrived at breakfast the next morning. Not because he looked unhealthy or anything like that; he looked much better for having had all the rest that he had had the last two days, but because he was finally up on his feet. What had been done to him wasn't a secret – nothing like that could be kept quiet in a society like the Wakandans had – and there was a considerable buzz of concern and interest as to how T'Challa was going to handle the entire dishonorable affair. Their breakfast was a private affair, but there was a formal audience scheduled for after, and a lot of people planned to be there.

The boy wasn't really aware of all of that. He'd been warned by Tony – and by Shuri the evening before during their walk – that the situation was going to need to be handled, and that T'Challa was going to discuss it with him, because _he_ was what they were calling the injured party. Peter just didn't know exactly what that meant, and wasn't too _concerned_, really. That was a matter for the adults. He was just glad to be out of bed and feeling more like himself.

Ramonda was the first to greet him when he came through the door. She got up, walking down from the raised platform that the high table was situated on and offering him her arm and a smile.

"I am glad to see you on your feet, Peter," she said, stealing him from where he'd been walking between Pepper and Tony. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, thanks," the boy assured her, smiling, as well. "You look very nice."

She _did_, too. Her outfit was clearly formal and ceremonial, and suited her regal bearing perfectly.

"You are too kind."

T'Challa and Shuri greeted him as their mother escorted him to his chair, followed by Tony and Pepper, then Natasha and Stephen. When the guests were seated, T'Challa gestured for the servers to start filling plates, and was then able to drop his formalities just a little in order to eat.

"How are you feeling, Peter?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"He was walking the hallways last night, brother."

"Good. No lingering ill-effects?"

"A bit of an appetite," Tony told T'Challa with a grin. "Other than _that_, he's fine."

"That is a relief."

"Yeah." Stark couldn't reach out and touch Peter – the boy was sitting between Shuri and Ramonda – but it was obvious that he _wanted_ to. "Now we can finish our vacation."

Peter nodded his agreement with a smile.

"Definitely."

"There will be a formal audience after breakfast, however," T'Challa reminded him. "What was done to Peter – here, where he should have been protected as a revered guest – is unacceptable. Azoru's punishment must be decided without any more delay. His tribe's honor is at stake – as is Wakanda's and by extension, my own."

"Did you decide what's going to happen to him?" Stephen asked, curiously.

"That is not my decision to make," the young king told them. "My responsibility is to implement the judgement laid upon him."

"Peter was the one injured," Ramonda pointed out. "It is _his_ right to decide Azoru's fate."

"Me?" The boy had been in the middle of a bite of a warm cereal. Not oatmeal, but close enough that Peter liked it. Now he almost choked on it, and Shuri had to slap his back several times before he could breathe, normally. "Why me?"

"He could have _killed_ you, Peter," T'Challa reminded him. "Yes, he states he had no intention of doing you harm, and the type of herbs that he used make me believe it was only supposed to be a prank – although a stupid, irresponsible one. But the drugs were such that they did harm you – and not just by making you look the fool. Had you died, he would have been killed, immediately, in response – to protect the honor of his tribe."

"I didn't die, though," Peter said, his face ashen and his eyes worried. "So no harm, no foul."

The Wakandans clearly didn't understand the reference, and it showed.

"He means, that since he's okay, _we're_ okay," Tony said, speaking up. "We're willing to let the boy off the hook."

Not that Tony didn't _want_ to see him slapped down for what he'd almost done to Peter – or the fright that he'd given _Pepper_ – but he knew just from looking at Peter's face that it was just one more stress that he didn't want the boy to have to deal with. Which meant bygones needed to be bygones.

"It is not that simple," T'Challa said. "Honor is very important to the tribes and in this instance their honor will demand punishment of their young noble. It is just a matter of Peter deciding what that punishment will be." The young king leaned forward, a little. "I can see that it distresses you. Truly, I am sorry for that." And he _did_ look sorry. "But if _you_ do not decide the punishment, it will fall to the elders of his tribe – and they will be _harsh_ – to prove to all that none are above the rules of hospitality."

"But-"

"The punishment does not have to be _physical_," Shuri pointed out, well aware that Peter wouldn't know that. "The Jabari tribe is much more traditional than the others, but are still wealthy, as they are vaunted craftsmen and unmatched when it comes to their textiles, jewelry and even artwork. A demand for such products might suffice."

T'Challa nodded his agreement, an approving glance at his sister telling her that he appreciated the assist.

"You _must_ demand retribution from them at the formal audience, Peter. It will soothe their tattered honor to be able to repay you for the harm their tribesman did. _He_ still may demand that you kill him, but you will be within your rights to refuse."

"He could challenge you, still," Shuri pointed out with a smile. "But I doubt he would. He was present when you and Okoye sparred, and he is aware that he would be hopelessly outmatched."

"We will discuss it more after we eat, if you would like," T'Challa offered. "Shuri understands the ceremonies as well as anyone and will walk you through it beforehand. To make sure you are comfortable with the proceedings."

Peter nodded, looking a little less anxious, Tony was relieved to see. He didn't like the idea that the Jabari kid could still, potentially, challenge Peter, but he was hoping common sense would keep that from happening.

"Thank you."

Shuri rested her hand on Peter's, not above messing around with Tony and T'Challa, once more, now that the more serious topic had been discussed, and she brought his hand up to her lips to kiss the back of it. An action that could be friendly – or could be construed as a little more.

"It will be my _pleasure_ to help you, Peter."

He grinned, then, realizing what she was doing, and had to force himself not to look over at Tony to see his reaction.

"I appreciate that."

Ramonda cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention, and Shuri released Peter's hand with a wink, pleased that she'd even had a chance to mess with her mother, this time.

"I, too, have a topic I wish to bring forward," the woman said, looking along the table at all of them, her gaze softening when it rested on her daughter and Peter. "As many of you are guests and not aware of our traditions and customs, I will remind my son that his sister is nearing an age when she is considered old enough to be betrothed. I have been looking for a suitable match for her – which is, of course, difficult when we realize how many talents and how much wealth she would bring to any union. A man could pretend to care for her, only to be grasping for the wealth of Wakanda. That solution lies in front of us."

"What do you mean, mother?" T'Challa asked, even as Peter felt Shuri tense beside him.

"Peter's father is _Tony Stark_. The second richest man on the planet – next to yourself, of course. He is certainly not looking for a free fortune when he courts my daughter, and he is honorable and intelligent. I think he is a perfect match for Shuri and would like to discuss the joining of our families."

Peter wasn't the only one to choke. T'Challa stared. Tony snorted the coffee that he'd been sipping painfully through his nose, reaching for a napkin with an apology stuck somewhere under the burning of his eyes at the pain of snorting coffee. Pepper's jaw dropped and Shuri actually paled. The former queen of Wakanda didn't seem to notice any of these reactions. She smiled, as regally and calmly as if she had just offered them all a plate of cookies.

Into the stunned silence that fell over the table, Stephen Strange snickered, and stood up. Reaching into his pocket, he walked over to Ramonda, and leaned over, not bothering to hide his actions as he handed her a hundred-dollar bill.

"That was _perfect_," he said. "Thank you."

She smirked, gracing her children and guests with an amused and mischievous smile.

"I enjoyed it."

"_Mother!"_

Peter laughed; it was a mixture of amusement and relief, but he didn't mind being on the receiving end of one of Stephen's pranks. He had to admit; it had been a pretty good one.


	74. Chapter 74

After eating, Shuri took Peter and Tony aside, into another room and discussed how the formal audience was going to work and who would be participating from the Jabari tribe. She made a few suggestions to Peter – with Tony adding in his own. Then Peter countered with a couple of suggestions, looking over at his father to see if he objected. Stark shrugged his acceptance and both looked back to Shuri, who smiled _her_ agreement and reminded him that he _wasn't_ allowed to smile during the process – to avoid looking smug.

Then an odd bell-like gong sounded throughout the hallways of the palace.

"They are gathering," Shuri told him. "Remember, you cannot be soft-hearted, and you must not accept an apology. _Only_ retribution."

"Got it."

He looked a little nervous, but Tony slapped his shoulder, reassuringly, as they walked into the formal throne room. The boy nodded to T'Challa as he joined him, taking a spot standing near the throne, while Tony went to join Pepper in the audience, next to where Stephen and Natasha were sitting – watching the gathering with interest.

There were a lot of people present, Peter saw. He had a good view of all of them from his position near T'Challa. The five tribes were all represented, with the Jabari tribe being most prevalent. Most everyone was in tribal or ceremonial garb and Peter felt a little under dressed wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but knew he wouldn't look very imposing in the outfits most of the men were wearing. Outfits designed to show off muscles and their tattoos or scars.

Peter had his share of scars, but he didn't have any kind of tattoo and no desire to get one.

The boy didn't really know any of them, but the Mind stone knew every name and he found as he looked at one, their name would flash in his mind, as well as their tribal affiliation. Convenient, really, and he sent a silent thank you, even though he knew the thing didn't reply that way. Since the time he'd spent with the infinity stones while on the Astral plane waiting to rejoin Pepper and Tony, he was a lot more comfortable with the Mind stone – and sometimes felt the others on the edges of his conscious.

He knew, though, that the worried looking woman standing off to the side next to the stoic-faced man were Azoru's parents, and he looked away from them, unwilling to watch the mother's concern for her son grow as the wait seemed to stretch into hours, even though it was probably only fifteen minutes or so.

T'Challa watched as the last of the crowd entered and seated themselves – or stood against the walls, if they were his personal guard. Then the king of Wakanda nodded to Okoye, who nodded to one of the guards near the door. A moment later the door opened and Azoru entered, alone. He was dressed only in a loincloth – which Shuri had told Peter was to remind the boy that at the moment he was no better than a simple child, with no rights and no protections until the proceedings were over. By himself, his chin up, proud and willing to face whatever his fate was going to be, the young man walked down the aisle and stood in front of the throne.

He bowed to T'Challa and glanced at Peter, before turning his attention to the king.

"Azoru. Son of the Jabari. Of Rhazew and Uzara. You are accused of violating the laws of hospitality and willfully causing harm to a guest. Your response?"

"It is true."

He didn't mention that no harm had been intended, because he _had_ meant for there to be harm. Not _physical_, but he wanted Peter to look foolish, which would have been far more painful to Azoru than any broken bones.

"You have dishonored yourself, your family, your tribe and your country. And your king."

"Yes."

"As all know, a guest is a special resource, especially in a country where we see so few. To treat one as cavalierly as you did cannot go unpunished." T'Challa gestured and the young Jabari went to his knees, waiting for his fate. Then the king looked at the couple standing to the side, and then to another man, who stepped out from the crowd, as Shuri had told Peter he would. "M'Baku, leader of the Jabari. What punishment would you have dealt to your nephew?"

The powerful man looked at the king, then looked at the kneeling figure and then at Peter, meeting his gaze, directly.

"The Jabari will pay whatever retribution is demanded. Honor must be restored."

"Peter Parker?" T'Challa said, looking at the boy. "The injury is _yours_. The punishment is yours to declare. What retribution would you demand of the Jabari?"

Peter stepped forward a step, moving to stand almost directly in front of the kneeling young man, but also facing the parents and the leader.

"My honor is wounded," Peter said, using the phrase Shuri had taught him. "The injury great. The cost will be high to restore it."

"It will be paid," M'Baku stated – also following the customary phrasing.

"A hundred of your finest wood carvings. You may choose them, since you know best which they would be. A hundred rugs, made from the rare wool from the goats you have in your hidden valley. Again, chosen specifically by yourself. Twenty spears, made the old way."

"Done."

"Two other things," Peter added. "Of a more personal nature." He waited for the Jabari leader to nod; this was not uncommon, either. As head of the Jabari tribe, M'Baku was, technically, responsible for anything one of his tribe did. Which put _his_ honor in danger, as well. Only a personal boon would do to restore it. Obviously Peter had been coached well.

"Ask it."

"A fighting lesson. From _you_."

There was a slight murmur in the crowd, which T'Challa allowed for a moment, before he raised his hand for silence.

M'Baku nodded.

"I will place myself at your disposal. The other?"

"Azoru accompanies me to my home, when I return. Where he will stay for three days and will be my guest. He will immerse himself in my culture and will learn how to _be_ a guest, so that he may better understand how a guest should be treated."

Another murmur ran through the crowd, and everyone was either looking at the boy on the floor, or the one standing by the throne. The young Jabari tribesman's head came up, his eyes not hiding his surprise.

"The Jabari do not leave Wakanda," he said, fiercely. "I refuse."

"Then you will have to fight me," Peter told him without any prompting from any of the others. He didn't need it, just then. The Mind stone was right there, letting him know how to make his point clear. "When you lose, you will submit. Or forfeit your family's wealth to mine."

M'Baku said something to the young noble in their own language. It was obviously a command, to judge by the way the younger man's spine stiffened.

"What did he say?" Tony whispered to Shuri, who had been sitting beside him.

"He ordered him to submit, or lose his honor."

Then, to everyone's shock – _including_ Tony's and Shuri's – Peter said something in the same language, flawlessly pronouncing every word. M'Baku's spine stiffened, and Azoru's eyes grew wide.

"What did _he_ say?" Tony whispered – although the entire crowd was murmuring, now, and wouldn't have heard him if he'd said it at a yell, most likely.

"He asked why he cared so little for his honor, and the honor of his tribe," Shuri replied, clearly surprised.

Azoru spoke to Peter, directly, and the Jabari leader's expression looked a little less stern. As did that of the boy's parents. His father, especially. As they watched, Peter replied, and Azoru nodded, submitting.

"He's agreed?"

"Yes." She smiled, shaking her head, amazed. "Peter gave him no choice. He basically told him that he had to prove he was a man by doing it – and he was right. Where did he learn Yoruba? It is not even the Wakandan dialect."

"Peter's a smart guy," Tony said, evasively. "Maybe you should rethink the betrothal thing."

He winked to show her that he was most _definitely_ kidding, and they both turned back to the gathering just in time to see Peter nod, speak to M'Baku a few moments, and then walk out of the room, not turning to look at anyone as he did. As the custom demanded, and Shuri had coached him. Azoru lurched to his feet, and was promptly hugged by his mother and father, who looked relieved – and Tony could well understand why.

"You will need to discuss a time for Peter's lesson," Shuri told Tony. "And talk to his parents about what Azoru should bring with him to the compound – and can _I_ come, too, please?"

"You're _always_ welcomed," Pepper said, joining the conversation. "As long as your brother is on board with the idea."

"I have two weeks to convince him," she said, cheerfully. "He will say yes."

"I'm going to go get Peter," Tony told Pepper. "He's not supposed to be seen the rest of the day – according to Shuri – so we will be in our suite."

"I'll meet you back there."

He kissed her, winked at Shuri, again, and went to find his son – and maybe discuss how to keep a low profile in sacred ceremonies.


	75. Chapter 75

There was something to be said for having an entire day to do nothing, Tony thought to himself as he watched Peter dozing on the couch in the living room of the suite, his head resting on Pepper's leg. She was asleep, too, lulled by the same lack of responsibility that had put their son to sleep. Peter was _supposed_ to be staying out of the way, keeping under the radar, so to speak, as was tradition in one of these retribution things. Tony and Pepper weren't under the same requirements, but neither had any intention of going out and about much without Peter.

The whole idea of having him there was to spend time with him, after all.

That's what they'd done, too. They spent the rest of the morning playing chess, and then a complicated game that Shuri had taught Peter, with a board that looked something like a chess board, but with a hundred squares and colored pebbles that were set up and could be played by up to four people, but as few as two. It was fast-paced, considering it was played with rocks (and you didn't throw the rocks at the loser, which would certainly have made things even more interesting, Stark thought, to himself) and they played it through four times before they were interrupted by the arrival of Shuri and her mother – and lunch.

Ramonda was a fun guest, and as they already knew, behind her regal mannerisms was a refined sense of humor and an intelligent wit. She mothered Peter outrageously as they worked their way through a big lunch, and asked Tony and Pepper about their interests, their works and any particular projects. Of course she knew Tony was Ironman, and Shuri asked if he would activate the suit so her mother could have some photos with him in it – and he was more than willing. Ramonda also wanted pictures with the small family themselves, not Ironman.

They discussed the rest of the trip, too, which was going to be extended for a few days to make up for Peter's illness and still allow him to see everything that they wanted to show him.

"M'Baku has opened the Gorilla city to you and your family, Peter," Shuri said with an excited smile. "You will be the first outsiders _welcomed_ there in generations. He will give you the lesson there, as well, and will allow you to confirm or veto some of the carvings that he will have chosen by then."

"The choices for retribution were very clever ones," Ramonda said, approvingly. "The items are very much prized, and _very_ costly – not to make, since they are wood and wool, for the most part - but the finished product is extremely desirable, the quality is excellent, and they will afford you much wealth. Even if you do not need it."

"You will need to decide what you will seek from T'Challa, as well," Shuri told him, smiling, still. "Do not worry," she added, quickly. "It does not have to be more than a token item. The Jabari are handling the majority of retribution.

"There's a painting in a hallway," Peter said. "I remember seeing it, but not exactly where. It has a panther looking out over Wakanda. I'd like to be allowed to take a picture of it so I can have a copy of that. Would that qualify?"

"A good choice," Ramonda said. "I know the painting, and will discuss it with my son, while Shuri is showing you the city tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"Day after that, you will be M'Baku's guest with the Jabari and will have an overnight there – where I am certain you will lack for nothing."

Tony smiled at that, but he did get that slightly worried expression on his face when he spoke next.

"This M'Baku guy isn't going to use the lesson with Peter to get any kind of retribution of his own, will he?"

"No." She shrugged, looking at her friend. "If he does not come away unscathed, it will be because he missed a defense. As Peter knows, though, learning a new skill can sometimes end with a bruise to show for the lesson that has been learned."

Considering the bruises that he'd accumulated learning to fight with the spears, he was certainly aware of that.

"True."

"When you are delivered back here to the palace, we will show you the countryside, again, finishing the interrupted safari."

"And we won't try to steal rhino babies, right?" Tony asked, smiling at Peter's slight blush.

"No."

Ramonda smiled, too.

"I have seen the footage, Peter. If you are going to try your hand at _poaching_, you must be advised that they do not normally take the entire creature."

"And they will usually wait until it is old enough to have actually grown a horn," Shuri added.

The boy's amused smile had made Tony reach over and shake his shoulder, glad that he wasn't stressing that Shuri and her mother and brother all knew his secret – the Spiderman secret, that was. It was almost a relief to him, really, because the billionaire knew that he was always stressing over who knew what, and who was supposed to know it.

One less secret meant that much less stress.

When lunch was done, and Shuri and her mother left, promising to see them the next day at breakfast, they started looking through photos that they had taken. Peter was shown the ones that Pepper and Tony had taken before he'd arrived to join them, and he showed them several that he had on his phone; pictures of the day that he'd spent with MJ and Ned, and photos that were when he and MJ went out to the park.

By the time dinner had arrived, they'd managed to have a very relaxing day simply catching up with each other. No disasters, no issues needing resolved and not a single bruise on the boy that meant so much to them both.

Pepper had decided she was going to retire to the sofa with a book and give her dinner time to settle, and Peter had found a book, as well. Neither of them knew if he'd brought one or had simply magicked it in from his quarters back home – and they didn't ask. It really didn't matter. The boy returned to the living room and hesitated, looking at Tony to see if he wanted the spot next to Pepper, since she was sitting on the end of the sofa, leaning against the arm.

When Tony had gestured for Peter to sit down, he had, but he'd immediately opted to sprawl on the couch, and his head had found Pepper's lap. Whether it was the toddler coming out and wanting the attention that comes with cuddling, or if Peter just wanted to be close, it didn't really matter. The book went to the off hand, freeing Pepper to brush her fingers along Peter's shoulder as he opened his book, as well.

Stark wasn't quite so homey. He settled on the couch with them, of course, drawing Peter's feet up onto his leg to give him enough room to stretch out, as well, but instead of a book, _he_ pulled out his phone and started reading emails and text messages that he had been ignoring the past few days. He wasn't working, he was just communicating with people who were trying to communicate with him – even though everyone knew that he was out of the country just then.

When he hit send on the last email and finally looked up, both Peter and Pepper were asleep, and he wondered how he'd missed the sounds of light snores that told him they had probably been asleep for a while. He smiled, softly, and pulled the book carefully from Peter's hand before it could fall to the floor and maybe make a noise and wake them. Stark debated waking them both up and sending them to bed, but decided to let them sleep.

He shifted just a little, closed his eyes and went to sleep, too.


	76. Chapter 76

The capitol city was incredible. The more they saw of it, the more they were impressed – and that was coming from New Yorkers, who were well aware that they were from the best city in the world.

Breakfast that morning had been entertaining. For the _adults_, anyway. Expounding on the theme of a hypothetical joining of Peter and Shuri, T'Challa and Ramonda were haggling with Pepper and Tony over what kind of dowry Shuri would bring to any betrothal. They were also trying to decide if being the son of Ironman was close enough to being a noble, or if there actually had to be a _title_ involved in order to make Peter worthy of a Wakandan princess.

"Commoners could buy their sons titles in the past," Pepper pointed out. "Stark Industries is worth billions – _and_ Peter owns a vibranium mine. We could probably pick the country and the title with that kind of financial backing."

"A title without an _estate_," T'Challa had pointed out. "My sister cannot live in a vibranium mine."

"We could deed them the compound," Tony said, smiling at the way Peter and Shuri were alternating between blushing and giggling and rolling their eyes at the topic of conversation. "Plenty of good land, buildings already on site – and it's not landlocked, since the river is right there."

Since Ramonda had never seen it, Tony brought out his phone, pulling up an enlarged 3D image of the Avenger compound.

"A beautiful facility," the woman agreed, also enjoying the discomfiture of the youngsters. She rarely had a chance to tease her daughter, any more.. "But, really, how many cattle could they raise on that small amount of grass?"

"Wouldn't have to be cattle," Tony assured her. "Could be chickens, or pigeons. They take up less space."

"We would have to put in a stipulation that they keep the buildings, though," T'Challa added, pleased at finally getting a chance to tease Shuri. "We would not want the Avengers to be homeless, after all."

"And we would need the Avengers to be _babysitters_," Shuri added, winking at Peter, because they had just gained the upper hand in the conversation. "The children cannot go unattended when Peter and I are off on our worldwide fundraisers for the various foundations we will be organizing."

All four adults frowned. Four equally uncertain expressions, ranging from dumbfounded to speechless. Peter nodded, giving them all his best innocent look as he put his hand on Shuri's, nonchalantly.

"What would be a good number? _Three_? _Four_?"

"If we have _four_, they can each be named after one of them," Shuri said gesturing toward the adults.

"And a _dog_," Peter added. "We'll have Nutmeg, so we already have a cat."

"Hey." Tony raised his hand to point at the two teens. "None of us mentioned _children_. No."

"It is merely _hypothetical_, Tony," Shuri reminded him – using the exact wording that her mother had used when she'd brought up the topic, earlier. "Surely a hypothetical joining requires hypothetical _offspring_?"

"There will be no offspring," T'Challa said to his sister. "Hypothetical, or otherwise."

Peter and Shuri both shrugged, and Pepper rolled her eyes, amused.

Touché.

The conversation had been switched over to the redo of their safari, which T'Challa wasn't going to be joining them for – but Shuri was. The young king wanted to make sure they saw everything that they could, and as such it was going to be a four-day excursion that would take them by land sled to the plains and the marshlands, affording the most chances to see wildlife.

When they were finished eating, they said their goodbyes to T'Challa and his mother and the three guests were taken on a tour of the city. They started on the mag train, which was engrossing to Tony and Peter from the tech angle – both of them asking the girl various questions about the dynamics, the lift, and how it maintained structural soundness even when varying the heights.

And that was before they even stepped onto the thing.

Shuri was a match for those questions, however, and answered them, willingly. She helped maintain the trains, after all, and knew as much about them as anyone. Then the actual tour began. The city was such an amazing juxtaposition of modern and traditional that they knew they wouldn't be able to see everything in one day, so Shuri showed them the major interests. The commercial zones – where it was then Pepper's turn to join Tony in asking questions about power structure, fiscal proxies and even the banking system and how it worked.

Peter listened to the answers Shuri gave, but since most of the time he didn't have a clue what the _question_ had been, he zoned out more than once and simply enjoyed meeting all the people who would stop them to talk to Shuri and cheerfully be introduced to the American visitor. He did mention his surprise that so many of them were articulate and spoke his language extremely well.

"The Wakandan education system is one of the most successful in the world," she said. "Of those who attend, 97% graduate, and 80% continue to higher education."

"Then what?" Pepper asked. "They don't often leave Wakanda to live elsewhere permanently, right?"

"Correct. Some will find work in the government. Others will return to their villages and become tradespeople or even simple farmers – whatever they want to do."

"That's pretty impressive," Tony said, approvingly. "Nothing like a shepherd with a bachelor's degree in agriculture to get things done right."

Shuri smiled.

"Exactly." She looked at Peter. "The Jabari tribe is more insular," she told him – and the adults. "It has only recently returned to become allies with the other tribes, so you will find that not as many of the people there speak your language."

"We'll be fine, though," Tony said. "The elders are understandable, and I'm a fair hand at charades."

Pepper shrugged, holding her hand out flat and waggling it back and forth, as if to correct him that he's not that great.

"Would you rather visit a glass blower or a technology museum that tracks the history of vibranium and its uses?' Shuri asked.

"Glass blower," Tony and Peter both said at the same time, surprising Shuri and Pepper, both.

"I'd like to see how it's done," Peter said, smiling. "And maybe find Ned or MJ a present. Or Ned's mom, even."

"The kid has a vibranium block at home," Tony pointed out. "Between it and FRIDAY, I'll know everything I need to know about the stuff. I do love to learn new things – and we don't have a glass blower at the compound or at the tower."

"_Oh_!" Peter was suddenly excited, his expression hopeful. "Do you think we'll get to _try_ it?"

Since Tony looked almost as eager, but was a little better at schooling his expression, Shuri nodded.

"I am certain."

OOOOOO

They returned from the tour of the city late that evening and all four of them were loaded down with packages. They'd had a good time with the glassblowers and had all had a chance to give it a try, with varying success – although Peter kept his failures, too. The colors were pretty, and if nothing else, they could be paperweights or decorations for his rooms back home.

Then they'd gone to a school that was specifically for orphaned children. These, Shuri explained, were children with absolutely no relatives remaining to them – either from illnesses, skirmishes or accidents. They would be thoroughly educated, she said, living in neat dormitories at the school where they were fed and clothed and cared for by the live in staff until they were old enough to make their choices on careers, or had the education needed to allow them to go to any number of villages and make homes in whatever capacity they chose.

The children – and there were maybe thirty of them ranging from infants up to a pair of twelve-year-old twin girls – were happy and excited to be presented to the foreigners for the most part. Some were shy and held back, hiding behind a teacher, or in one case a statue, but for the most part they shook hands and practiced their social skills on the visitors and the princess.

Not surprisingly, Peter found himself right in the midst of them, as they were drawn to his exuberant nature, and he was drawn to them because he knew the hurt of losing a parent and could relate. As Shuri was being introduced to some of the older ones, Peter had gone to stand near the statue a little girl was hiding behind and had simply settled cross-legged on the dusty floor, his big brown eyes earnest as he spoke to the shy child but stayed far enough away to avoid scaring her.

Tony wasn't surprised that she was sitting in the boy's lap in only minutes, and he was showing her one of the blocks of glass that he'd made, and offering it to her as a present. She smiled and said something that the others were too far away to hear, then she hugged Peter and ran off, smiling, to show her teacher her prize.

By the time they had to leave, Peter had given away all of his failed glass experiments and had played soccer with a group of older boys.

"I thought they were going to be souvenirs?" Pepper said, putting her arm around him as Shuri led them to the train so they could have dinner at a favorite restaurant of hers.

He shrugged, good-naturedly.

"Nutmeg would probably just knock them off the shelves, anyway. This way they're treasured, right?"

"Yeah."

They had given theirs away, too, of course.

"I'm a sweet guy," he said, keeping the mood light, considering the sad nature of the school, even though the children were all well taken care of. "I thought you knew that by now. Besides, maybe one of the grandkids will become a glassblower... I'll ask Shuri."

She just rolled her eyes, and pushed him ahead of her, onto the train.


	77. Chapter 77

The next morning – as every morning had, so far – dawned clear and bright. They packed rucksacks with a change of clothing and toiletries needed for an overnight stay in the Jabari lands, although they weren't sure, yet, if they were going to be staying in someplace modern, or a hut. So they planned accordingly, and then went to join the others at breakfast.

M'Baku was at breakfast with T'Challa and Shuri, but Ramonda was absent when they arrived. The princess told them that she had been called to handle a few minor administrative problems, and probably wouldn't see them before they left for the Jabari lands after breakfast.

"M'Baku will be your escort to the Jabari lands, of course," T'Challa told Tony, Pepper and Peter as they were seated after the proper greetings had been shared.

The leader of the Jabari tribe nodded. He was a large, imposing man, with dark eyes and a full beard. At the moment, he was wearing leather and fur, his upper arms muscular and bare.

"We will be passing the border tribe's land along the way. If you are interested, we will stop and lunch with them." He glanced at Peter. "You might find them interesting."

The boy nodded, looking at Pepper and Tony to see if they minded taking a detour, but they both were fine. They were interested, too, and wanted to see anything that the Jabari leader wanted to show them.

"Great. Thanks."

They left right after eating. T'Challa bid them farewell at the breakfast table, but Shuri joined them as they gathered their bags and got on the train to meet M'Baku and a few of his own personal guards at a small grouping of land sleds just on the outskirts of the city. The Jabari leader introduced his men to them, and they left, Peter, Pepper and Tony riding in the sled that M'Baku was in, while the others formed a small phalanx around and behind it.

Clearly the Jabari were intent on keeping their guests in a protected spot while they traveled.

While they rode toward the mountains, which were Jabari traditional lands, M'Baku and the driver of the sled they were in were mostly silent, but Peter was too good-natured to allow that to continue. He peppered the two men with questions about the land they were traveling through and the animals they were seeing – many of which were the regular African creatures the boy would expect to see, but some were odd-looking enough that he didn't recognize them immediately. Or at all.

The driver scowled at M'Baku, who finally rolled his eyes and turned the tables on Peter and began questioning him, instead, leaving the driver free to concentrate on what he was doing.

"You were not specific when you demanded a lesson for retribution," he said to Peter, who was standing beside him in the front of the sled. Pepper was lounging in a seat toward the rear, enjoying the sunshine with the breeze of their passing to keep it from being too hot, while Tony was standing near Peter, occasionally reaching for the boy's belt loops if he leaned too far over the edge of the railing to look at something they passed by, "What did you have in mind?"

"I've been learning how to fight with the spears that the Dora Milaje use," Peter replied. "Is it an insult to ask if you're familiar in their fighting style?"

"It is not," M'Baku told him, approvingly. "Better to ask than to assume. I am familiar with the spears of the Dora Milaje."

"My _defense_ is good," Peter told him. "I could use some instruction in offense. Perhaps I can learn from you and take what I learned back to my teachers and surprise them."

"Of course." He looked at Tony. "There _are_ sometimes injuries when sparring with weapons."

Stark understood he was trying to make sure his honor wouldn't be questioned if Peter got whacked around a bit. Tony nodded.

"We're _aware_. Peter's first lesson ended up with him hitting himself in the face with the staff they started him on – almost knocked himself out."

M'Baku's smile was amused, and the boy rolled his eyes, noticing that the _driver_ had grinned, as well. He didn't mind, though. Even if it was at his expense, he was pleased that they were getting along and enjoying themselves.

"I'm better at it, now."

"We shall see," M'Baku said. "If I may ask, where did you learn my language? I was not aware it was commonly spoken outside of Wakanda."

Or outside of the Jabari tribal lands, for that matter.

Peter had anticipated the question, but wasn't going to be completely forthwith on his reply. _A magic rock tells me everything_ was probably not the most reliable response, after all.

"The Avengers have an excellent network of intelligence and information at the compound where I live," he said. Which was true. "I found some references – and I'm really pretty good at picking up languages."

"Your accent is impressive. As is your understanding of our traditions."

Peter smiled.

"Shuri helped me with that," he admitted.

The Jabari nodded. Nothing wrong with using a coach. And, of course, a Wakandan princess would know all that was needed to know about the customs of all the tribes.

"What do you know of the border tribe?" he asked Peter – and Tony.

"They protect the border, from what I understand. Is there a lot of trouble with other countries?" Tony asked.

"There is none. Wakanda is ferocious and it is well known the border tribes do protect the border, while posing as simple villagers. They utilize vibranium as my tribe does not – and they have an additional resource they raise for the purpose of defense."

"What?" Peter asked, curiously.

The Jabari leader smiled.

"I will let you find out for yourself, rather than ruin the surprise."

OOOOO

"Fuck me dead…"

Pepper paled at the phrase coming from her sweet, innocent, boy's lips.

"_Peter Benjamin Parker!"_

He flinched, and then reddened when he realized what he'd said. He had never heard her use his middle name before - and probably wasn't certain that she even knew it. Lesson learned.

"Sorry."

Tony snorted, drawing a look from her, as well, and he shrugged and gestured at the creature that was standing not more than twenty feet from them.

"Come on, Pep…" he said, reasonably. "It's a rhinoceros with a _saddle on its back_. That's not something you see every day."

She wasn't impressed, and it showed. Peter and Tony, on the other hand, were both staring at the thing. It was huge, covered with armor and – like Stark had already mentioned – there was a saddle on its back.

"So they really _ride_ them?" Peter asked M'Baku, looking at the huge warrior who was standing at the rhino's shoulder.

"They do. In battle the rhinos give the border tribe warriors a great advantage."

"Well, _yeah_."

They were in a small village and had stopped to have lunch – and to give the outsiders a chance to stretch their legs and maybe see something new and interesting. Something that they _weren't_ going to see in the capitol city, that was certain. The people of the village were suspicious, to begin with, despite M'Baku's presence, but soon were opening up a little and smiling.

Especially when they saw the reaction to their battle rhinos.

Practically wriggling with excitement, Peter took a couple of steps closer to the rhino.

"Can I touch it?" he asked, M'Baku.

"Ask Kala. It is _his_."

And they already knew that Peter didn't need anyone to translate for him. He went over to the border tribe warrior and Tony watched as those brown eyes of his got big and hopeful as he rattled off a couple of sentences to the man, gesturing to the rhino.

The man nodded, and said something in reply, which made Peter grin and M'Baku frown.

"What did he say?" Pepper asked, curiously, as Peter nodded, excitedly.

"He asked if Peter wanted a ride."

"What? Wai-"

Before Pepper could veto that idea outright, the border tribe warrior had taken hold of the slight boy and tossed him up into the rhino's saddle.


	78. Chapter 78

Pepper gave a soft moan of fear as the rhino bolted away, her son whooping with glee on its broad back. She covered her eyes with her hands, unable to watch her baby ride off to his doom.

"It's okay, momma," Tony told her, his hand coming to the small of her back to steady her. "He sticks to _walls_, sweetheart, he isn't going to fall out of a saddle."

"How do we know that ability isn't just on his hands and feet?"

"I've seen him with just his back to a wall," Stark assured her, watching as the village children chased after the retreating creature, cheering loudly and waving their arms, wildly, urging the creature on. "He's _fine_. Look."

"I can't look," she said. "He's going to fall. I just know it."

"He's not going to fall. If he were going to, he'd have done it by now. It's turning around and coming back."

"Maybe he hit his head," Pepper said, spreading the fingers that were in front of her eyes and peeking through them to confirm what he was saying. Sure enough the creature was now running toward them at an ambling gait, Peter's smile easy to see even from the distance, it was so wide. "Could he have hit his head when he went through the window? Or when he was out wrangling baby rhinos?"

Stark chuckled, and hugged her.

"He's having a good time, Pep. Don't worry, okay. We'll have him home in a couple of weeks, and then all he will be facing is the head of the Russian mafia looking for him and swinging from skyscrapers."

She scowled.

"You're _not_ making me feel any better, Anthony Stark."

The rhinoceros came to a stop next to its handler, and Peter deftly jumped out of the saddle with a huge smile and had a very brief, excited, conversation with the border tribesman and M'Baku, who had walked over to stand by the other warrior during Peter's ride. Then the boy trotted over to Pepper and Tony, and hugged her, happily, clearly pleased with himself.

"Tell me you got a picture?"

She sighed and hugged him, back.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I didn't –"

"I did," Tony assured him, gesturing to the sunglasses that he was wearing. Friday would have recorded all of it, and it'd be available to download whenever they wanted. "No worries. Your mom was too busy waiting for you to fall off and get splattered."

He looked pulled away from Pepper's embrace and looked at her, surprised.

"I couldn't fall off. You _know_ that."

"Knowing it is different than believing it when you're seeing it," Pepper told him, still a little annoyed – at him, and at Tony. "Please think before you do something like that, again. I about had a heart attack."

Genuinely contrite, Peter nodded, his smile fading.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want to let him change his mind… I won't do it, again."

He turned and walked away, toward the children who had run up and were standing at a safe distance, waiting to find out who the stranger was that had ridden the rhino.

Pepper sighed.

"Now I feel guilty."

"Don't," Tony said. "He'll be fine. He _needs_ to learn to stop and think before he does something like that."

"I can't imagine the problem will come up, again, any time in the future."

"Not this _particular_ problem, but you never _know_." He put his arm around her waist, and turned her toward the group of children who were now eagerly conversing with Peter, apparently introducing themselves in voices that were getting louder and louder as they tried to make themselves heard over each other. Adults were coming over, now, as well, smiling at the boy, approvingly. "Come on, let's see what's for lunch."

OOOOOO

They didn't linger over lunch. There was still a fair distance to go to reach the Jabari lands and M'Baku wanted to get there well before dark. Peter was invited to drive the land sled when they all got on after saying farewells to the border tribe villagers, but he'd shaken his head, glancing almost imperceptibly toward Pepper, and telling the Jabari leader that he probably should wait and watch how the controls handled before he tried operating the vehicle. Instead, he sat on the rail, talking to the two Wakandans about the differences between the Jabari and the other Wakandan tribes.

This led to a long discussion of the history of Wakanda – from the Jabari point of view – and it was interesting enough to hold the attention of all three of the newcomers through the rest of the journey. The terrain grew rough as they reached the mountains, and they eventually left the land sleds at the edge of a series of foothills, where they hiked steadily higher for almost an hour before reaching a small village that was nestled in a high mountain valley, hidden from sight until they were almost upon it.

It consisted of about forty homes that were fairly large but seemed to be built entirely of sticks and some kind of grass or vines that tied together to hold it all in position. The roofs were grass, and they were neatly organized into concentric circles, coming out from a central home that was in front of a large fire. There were a lot of goats running around the village, being shepherded by children of all ages, and as they passed through the place, they saw signs of artistry everywhere, from intricate wooden carvings to brightly colored fabrics with intricate designs hanging from the frames of every house.

"This is the closest of the Jabari villages," M'Baku said to them as they walked up to the center house, which was much larger than the others that surrounded it. "All are built the same, though, so you will be able to get an idea of the structures and the society. This is the chieftain's home, and also a place to house any guests, should one come."

A large man came out of the building, dressed in an outfit that was made of leather, cloth and metal bits. His face was tattooed and ancient, but his eyes were bright and clever as he waited for the visitors and their guides to walk up to him. Behind him, three others – two men and a woman – all joined him. All around, those villagers who weren't working on a project that they couldn't leave were also converging on the center of the village, clearly interested in the newcomers.

M'Baku spoke with the elder, who bowed low to him and then bowed to his visitors, speaking in heavily accented English.

"Welcome to the village of the three mountains," the man said, formally. "I am your host, Jad."

They all bowed, introducing themselves and the man then introduced the people standing with him, who it turned out were priests of the gorilla god and elders of the village itself. M'Baku spoke again, this time in English, as well.

"Jad will have places prepared for us to sleep, and will have an evening meal brought to us."

"Until then," the elder said, smiling, cheerfully – clearly excited and pleased to have visitors to his little village. "You are welcomed to either come inside and rest from your journey, or look around and familiarize yourselves with the village and the people. Some – _many_, even – do not speak your language, but all will make you welcome. If you need anything, just ask."

It was as warm a welcome as they could have hoped for, really, and it made them all smile. They all went inside, curious what the interior would look like, and the men naturally gravitated toward Tony, who looked around with interest. It was a single large room with a fireplace in the middle that had an intricate and clever design to the grass ceiling above it that allowed it to draw the smoke directly up instead of dispersing around the room. There were mats around the fire, and implements designed for cooking and eating, and along all the walls were low-slung wooden frames; clearly for sleeping, since some had blankets on them and some were bare.

Peter set his backpack down out of the way.

"Can I go look around?" he asked Pepper, since Tony was already in conversation with the men and M'Baku.

Pepper hesitated, thinking that it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to have one of them with him – just in case – but she nodded, instead, remembering how hurt he'd looked when she'd told him off for riding the rhino and not wanting him to think she didn't trust him.

"Of course. Have fun."

He smiled, clearly relieved that she'd said yes.

"I won't be gone, long."

He left the building just as Tony turned to bring Pepper into the conversation about the evening's activities.

"Where's he going?"

"He wanted to go look around."

"I could send a translator," Jad offered, overhearing. "He would undoubtedly prefer being able to converse with my people, and none of the youngsters his age are comfortable with your language."

"He'll be fine," Pepper assured the elder. "I, on the other, would appreciate something to drink."

"Want me to go with him?" Tony asked, quietly, as they were ushered to the best places near the fire.

Pepper sighed, and shook her head.

"No. It's alright."

If he needed anything, he knew where to find them, after all.


	79. Chapter 79

_A/N Sorry about the silence today, everyone. Mother's day and all, so mom came first. Happy mom's day to any of you moms (or one parent dads) out there!_

OOOOOO

The sun was going down when Peter returned to the main building. He tapped lightly on the door frame, uncertain what the process was for the main building and if one was even _supposed_ to knock or not, and then ducked his way into the large, room, smiling. Jad was immediately on his feet, walking over to greet him, properly, and escort him to a spot near the fire, and he smiled, as well, when he saw the boy.

"What are you _wearing_?" Tony asked, curiously, when Peter joined him and Pepper on the woven mats that protected them from the dirt of the floor.

Peter looked down at himself. He had several vests on. All were made of some kind of wool, decorated with feathers and fringe, came in vibrant colors, with different patterns woven into them. He also had a wide-brimmed hat that was made of leather and looked like a fedora straight out of the Indiana Jones movies.

"The women kept giving them to me and telling me welcome when I was exploring the village," he explained, cheerfully, looking over at M'Baku and Jad, who nodded.

"To keep you protected from the elements," Jad said.

"The hat is awesome," Peter said. "Ned's going to be jealous. And I've seen some of the wood carvings they're working on here. They're _amazing_."

"This village will be contributing to the retribution," M'Baku said, clearly pleased at Peter's enthusiastic endorsement of the crafts work of his people. "If you find one that you like, advise the person making it and we will add it to your record."

The boy nodded, because he knew he had to agree, but he wouldn't take most of what he'd seen, as they were being created for other people. He would find the ones that were already made and were surplus – as long as they were high quality enough to satisfy M'Baku and the Jabari's honor.

"Thank you." He looked at Jad. "Your people are very friendly and kind."

The older man was pleased at the reception.

"I am happy to hear that. It is how a visitor should be treated, of course."

Peter looked at Pepper and Tony.

"Did I miss anything?"

"Jad was giving us the history of his people and we were just getting ready to eat," Pepper replied. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes. Let me get these vests off so I don't spill anything on them and ruin them."

He glanced around and found his rucksack on one of the wooden bedframes. There was now a rush mattress and several heavy blankets on it, as well as a pillow. Peter carefully took off the gifts he'd been given and tried to stow them so they wouldn't wrinkle or dislodge the feathers. By the time he returned to the fire, Jad's family had joined Pepper, Tony and M'Baku there and they were passing out plates filled with something that smelled good.

Peter sat down and was served his dinner, and listened as the conversation continued around him, more than willing to let the adults talk while he concentrated on his meal and watched the coming and going of the elder's family; which included his wife, their grown son and two small grandchildren. Pepper smiled when she noticed the children scooting closer to the boy every chance they had, until Peter moved his plate, finished, and suddenly found his lap occupied.

"Kids like him," Tony said, shrugging, when Jad's son started to tell the children to not bother the guest, but Peter waved him off, explaining that a good _guest_ was always willing to indulge the host's offspring. "He'll let them know when he's ready to get up."

He didn't, though. They all stayed up late, talking well into the night. It was the first time the Jabari from Jad's tribe had had a chance to meet outsiders and many of the older people from the tribe were in attendance once the meal was finished. The conversation started with the very general questions; they were enthralled by the fact that Tony and Pepper were newlyweds and asked if it was common that people waited until advanced age to be married where they were from. Which made Peter snicker, amused at the expression on Tony's face at being told that his age was advanced.

They were also confused when Peter mentioned him being Ironman, and _that_ part of the conversation had been tricky, because even though they had M'Baku and Peter both capable of translating, there just wasn't anything that the villagers could use as a frame of reference to understand what Peter meant when he tried to explain it, and Tony wasn't willing to activate his suit and maybe cause a panic if they decided that it was frightening rather than fascinating.

In the end, Peter had pulled out his phone and passed it around, showing a picture of the Ironman suit and then explaining that Tony could fly in it, and that it possessed weapons to keep his people safe. Which they _could_ definitely understand. Peter had then explained his relationship with Tony and Pepper, openly sharing his history; which had the Jabari all making commiserating noises, and smiling when Peter told them how the two had stepped up to take the role of mother and father to him.

Sometime during the conversation where Tony was explaining what Stark Industries was, and the types of research they were doing, both children in the boy's lap fell asleep, leaning back against him, and secure in his strong arms. Jad chuckled when he noticed, and looked over at M'Baku.

"He would be a good…" he frowned, and said a word in his native tongue, which made Peter smile as he gave him the English variation.

"_Nanny_."

Pepper shook her head, watching as their father came to collect the sleeping children one at a time to put them to bed.

"We could rent you out by the hour," she said. "Probably charge extra for putting them to sleep."

"_I'm_ about ready to fall asleep," he admitted.

"We will be spending the day in the village tomorrow," M'Baku said. "If that suits you? We could go to a different village, if you prefer."

Tony shook his head, smiling at the various faces gathered around the fire with them.

"This village is fine," he said, sincerely. "They are wonderful hosts, and if it's a sample of all the rest of the Jabari, then you have every right to be as proud of them as you obviously are."

Tony could be diplomatic when he tried, too. He just didn't try all that hard, usually.

The Jabari leader and the elders preened, trying to hide their pleasure at the compliment but failing, which made Peter and Pepper smile.

"I will give you your lesson in the morning," M'Baku said to Peter. "If that is acceptable?"

"Yeah."

"You have spears _without_ the pointy parts?" Tony asked. "Not that I don't trust you, but like you said, things happen during lessons, and I'd rather not have to try and stitch him up out here if we can avoid it."

The Jabari laughed – as did those who had heard Tony's comment.

"We will figure it out," he assured him.

The assembled villagers began to leave, then, and those who lived in the main building prepared the fire for the night, allowing it to die down and asking if their visitors needed more blankets, or anything else to drink or eat before bed.

"It gets very cold at night, here," M'Baku advised them. "There will be extra blankets by the fire pit."

"Thanks."

While Tony went to talk to Jad and M'Baku about the next day, Peter moved from his bed to sit beside Pepper, leaning into her side, silently asking to be held – which she did without hesitation.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier," she said, resting her chin on his head, and rifling her fingers through his hair, tenderly.

"I'm sorry I scared you. Especially after the rest of what happened. I should have thought about you, first, and not me."

Pepper made a soft noise a cross between a snort and a sigh.

"I _want_ you to have fun, understand? And there's nothing wrong with thinking about yourself, too, so make sure you do. Just try to visualize the next step of whatever you're thinking of doing, and if there is a potential that bleeding might be involved, think about a different approach – or ask _Tony_, at least. Okay?"

"Yeah."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Hey. That's _my_ bed, Ninja," Tony said, walking over from his finished conversation but smiling to see the two of them so clearly comfortable. "And my _wife_, come to think of it."

Peter smiled.

"She's been my mom longer, though," he pointed out, kissing Pepper and then getting up to move to his own bed.

He was tired and definitely ready for some sleep.

Pepper waited for Tony's comeback, but he didn't have one. It was _true_, after all.

"Goodnight, son."

The boy bundled himself in the blankets.

"Night."


	80. Chapter 80

The next morning dawn cold, like promised. Peter was shivering under the blankets when Tony checked on him after waking, and Stark draped a couple of the blankets from their bed over the boy before he and Pepper made their way to the bathroom facilities – which weren't as rustic as they _could_ have been, but still lacked a shower, which would have been nice.

"Good morning," Jad said by way of greeting, bowing politely to them both as they joined him at the main hearth, the fire wonderfully warm. "How did you sleep?"

"Well, thank you."

"Tea?"

Stark hid his disappointment that there wasn't any coffee, and nodded, ignoring Pepper's amused smile.

"Please."

"Your son is asleep, still?"

"He's a teenager," Pepper replied, sitting gratefully by the warming fire pit. "If he could, he'd sleep in every day."

"Besides," Tony added. "It's _cold_. He'll hide under his blankets until it's safe to get up."

"It does get cold at night. During the raining season, it is damp, but not as cold, as the clouds keep the temperature from dropping." He gestured to his son, wo had just joined them, and the man left, returning with a couple of woolen shirts, which were long-sleeved and hooded. One was brightly decorated with muted grays and reds in a pleasing zig-zagging pattern, and the other was a brilliant purple with gray parallelograms as a design. "Please. A gift to ward off the chill."

"Thank you."

The purple one was smaller, and Pepper slipped it on over the shirts she was already wearing, amazed at how soft the wool was, and not scratchy, at all. Tony was just as quick to put the red one over his sweatshirt, and nodded in approval.

"This is nice," he said, running his hand along the sleeve. "It's _soft_."

He was a clotheshorse, after all, and knew quality when he felt it.

Jad smiled; pleased with the compliment, and his son left.

"He will leave one on Peter's bed, as well, so he will be more willing to join us before lunch. The wool is from a special breed of goat that the Jabari breed. We hold the secret of their care to ourselves, and the shirts and mats made from their wool is prized by all Wakandans."

"It's impressive. Your _people_ are impressive," Tony added.

The elder nodded, but before he could say anything, M'Baku joined them as well. The Jabari leader was wearing only the light armor and cloth that he'd been wearing the day before, as if to make a point that the cold meant nothing to him – which maybe it didn't. He greeted the two visitors and accepted a cup of tea from Jad as he sat down.

"The day is bright. It will be a good one."

"Is there anything you have, specifically, on the schedule for today?" Tony asked, curiously. "Peter's lesson, aside?"

"No. If there is something you would like to see, specifically, Jad will arrange it. Otherwise, the village is yours to enjoy. The people are interested in showing you their ways."

"Sounds great."

Peter joined them, then, yawning and walking over to the fire. He was wearing the wool shirt, which was all gray but in several different shades and the designs were very subtle. The bottom was decorated with fringe, and he had the hood drawn up.

He greeted them all, cheerfully, and accepted a cup of tea, even though he didn't really _want_ it, well aware that it would possibly have been considered an insult – especially since tea had been how Azoru had slipped him the herbs that he had. There was a trust issue, now, so the boy was pretty much going to have to prove to the Jabari that he trusted them by drinking anything they offered. Even though he wasn't a tea drinker, by choice.

"We will have your lesson a couple of hours after breakfast," M'Baku said to the boy. "If that is acceptable?"

"Yes. Perfect." He grinned, looking forward to it, but definitely didn't want to try sparring on a full stomach. He looked at the village elder. "Are _all_ your people warriors? I imagine there are wild animals that would find the herds of goats I saw yesterday when I was out looking around pretty tempting."

Jad nodded, as did M'Baku.

"The children are taught to use a sling at an early age. Other weapons come later, as they are needed. Mostly for hunting, but also in village defense."

"A sling?" Tony asked.

The Jabari explained the weapon while the others gathered, including the two children from the night before. They immediately found places beside their favorite visitor, but a sharp command from Jad kept either of them from claiming his lap, this time.

Breakfast was served to everyone, and Peter lost interest in the discussion, as they were serving the warm cereal that he was beginning to really grow fond of, and he was pretty hungry. There was fresh bread, eggs, and fruit – some that he easily recognized and others that he didn't – but no meat was served with the meal. It was filling, though, and he had seconds of everything while the adults watched, amused, and the children kept offering him pieces of their bread, proving that they were good hosts, as well.

When he was done eating, the oldest child – maybe seven or so – said something to Peter in his native tongue and took his hand, hopefully. Peter smiled, looking at Tony and Pepper.

"He wants to show me his friends. You guys don't care?"

"No. Have fun."

The boy nodded, looking at M'Baku.

"Where would you like me to be for the lesson?"

"I will send a runner to collect you."

Peter stood up, awkwardly since the boy still hadn't released his hand, and the girl was now reaching for the other.

"If you need me, call."

Then he was dragged out of the building and out into the bright, cold, morning, the eager children already yelling to their friends to come meet him.

"He is in for a long morning," Jad said, amused. "The children will not willingly give up someone as unique as he – especially since he indulges them. They will introduce him to everyone and show him their herds."

"It's good for him," Tony said.

"I hope _you_ intend to introduce us to everyone, as well," Pepper told the elder. "Your people are delightful. I hope to meet as many as possible in the short time we have and learn as much as we can about them."

"Of course. When you have finished eating, I will show you my village, personally."

OOOOO

After breakfast and another cup of tea, Jad led Tony and Pepper outside. It was still chilly out, but the sun was up, now, and it would soon warm the landscape. The two looked around, allowing their eyes a chance to acclimate to the sunshine after the much gloomier interior of the main building, and saw that the people of the village were out in full force, working on whatever chores or projects that they needed to do, now that breakfast was out of the way.

A group of warriors were walking by holding spears, and greeted them, but they didn't stop. Jad explained that they were going hunting, and asked Tony if he was interested in joining them. Stark appreciated the gesture, but declined. He _liked_ meat, but didn't want to have to catch it and kill it, himself. Fishing aside, of course. As long as Peter wasn't there with those big, doleful eyes of his.

They were introduced to a small group of men and women who were working with some wool, carding it and getting it ready for spinning, and spent a fair amount of the next hour or so watching various different techniques and demonstrations on how the shirts they were worn had been created. At one point during the morning, Peter ran by, being chased by a large group of children who were yelling happily. The boy was holding a small, squealing, pig under his arm and grinning as he looked back at his pursuers, and Tony just shook his head, turning to Pepper.

"I'm not even going to _ask_ what that's all about."

She smiled.

OOOOOOO

Peter was in the middle of being taught how to use a sling when a young man about his own age came running up to him and the children who were standing with him. He was told that M'Baku and his parents were waiting for him, and his presence was requested. The boy nodded, leaving his group of instructors to their goat watching chores and walked with his guide to a small area of dirt just off to the side of one of the farthest houses in the outer circle of them.

M'Baku was waiting, holding a spear in one hand and speaking with Tony and Pepper. Jad was nowhere to be seen, although a couple of M'Baku's men were, and a few men from the village were loitering, undoubtedly curious. Peter had long since shed the warmer, hooded shirt, and was now in a long-sleeved t-shirt and his jeans, and he smiled at the group as he joined them.

"Did you have a good morning?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. You guys?"

"It was great. M'Baku's ready for your lesson." He lowered his voice as he walked over to the Jabari with the boy. "Try not to get too beat up, okay? Pepper hates it when you bleed."

Peter grinned.

"I'll do my best."


	81. Chapter 81

"Oh my God…"

"He's going to be fine."

Tony couldn't help that his hand tightened just a little on Pepper's. Or that his voice wasn't quite as confident and cocky as it usually was. Looking at Peter square off against the Jabari leader was like literally watching David against Goliath. M'Baku was a foot taller and easily weighed twice what Peter did, most likely. And it was all muscle.

The boy took a spear from one of M'Baku's men with an excited smile and a nod of thanks, and then watched M'Baku, waiting to see what he wanted to do. He was the instructor, after all. The Jabari leader pulled his armor and shirt, baring his massive chest and muscular stomach. A row of scars along his side stood out, and the Jabari nodded to Peter, who pulled his t-shirt off in response. Tony couldn't help but roll his eyes when Peter did that, his own upper body well muscled, but very slim. Peter had his own scars; the gunshot wound from Shuri's attempted abduction, and the four neat lines that crossed his ribs along one side.

"What are those from?" M'Baku asked, curiously, never having seen a group of scars so perfectly formed and precisely spaced.

"A bear," Peter answered, looking down at them. He grinned, because M'Baku probably didn't know what a bear was, having none in Africa and nothing similar to draw as a comparison. "I'll show you a picture, later," he promised.

The Jabari leader nodded.

"I would see your defense, first."

Peter nodded, hefting the spear he was holding. It was a bit heavier than the ceremonial ones he'd been learning with, but the balance was the same. He twirled it in his hands a few times to get the feel for the weight difference, while the Jabari leader waited, understanding what he was doing. Then he nodded, and waited for an attack.

It came, immediately, and Peter felt it. He blocked a high strike, ignored another high feint and then blocked a sweeping maneuver that would have taken his feet out from under him if it had worked. A quick lean back, redistribution of his weight to the right in order to bring the staff portion of the spear up to block a thrust – of the butt of M'Baku's spear – and then another step back to avoid a swipe.

The warrior stopped his attack, smiling.

"Very good, Peter," he said. "You are as fast as Okoye said."

"I'm getting there. I haven't been using the spears for very long," he admitted. "Only defense, so far."

The Jabari nodded, and gestured to one of his men, who trotted up and took the spear from his leader and handed him a different spear. This one had a heavy slab of leather wrapped around the tip, blunting it into a ball, effectively protecting the opponent from being struck with anything sharp. Peter handed his spear over, as well, relieved, when he was given a similar weapon to what M'Baku had in his hand.

"Then I will show you how to attack," the leader of the Jabari told him.

As the rest watched, M'Baku put Peter through a series of motions, explaining balance, reach and tactics as he showed the boy a few of the more common attacks that he would see when going gainst someone with a spear. Peter recognized many of them from sparring, even though they weren't ones that he'd _used_, only that he'd defended against. M'Baku was teaching him to employ the tricks that he'd seen used against him, and how to meld them into a series of attacks to go with a defense as each move was countered.

When Peter had practiced them several times and his instructor decided he was practiced enough, the Jabari stood across from him once more and waited for the boy to make an attack for the first time. It was fast, but a little sloppy, and the warrior parried it with ease. Undaunted, Peter tried again, several times, until M'Baku was actually having his work cut out for him to avoid the blows that the boy was coming at him with.

"Good." He was clearly pleased by how quickly Peter was learning, as any good teacher would be. "One more attack – a _Jabari_ attack."

Peter nodded, setting himself into a defensive stance, waiting for it to come. He'd see it, parry it, and then as they had all morning, M'Baku would explain how to implement it.

The Jabarai waited until Peter was ready, and then came at him. Peter saw the attack coming. Felt the attack coming with his spider senses, and still only just brought his spear shaft up to block it. The blunt end of the spear shattered with the impact of the parried blow and M'Baku's strike – which was aimed at the boy's side slapped him across the cheek, instead.

Peter went down with a grunt, the shattered spear falling into the dirt beside him.

"Peter!"

The boy was back on his feet before Tony and Pepper could do more than take a step forward, well aware that they were watching and would have been afraid for him. Pepper's fearful exclamation proved it. M'Baku frowned, concerned, seeing blood on Peter's cheek, but an amazed smile on the boy's face.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I almost blocked it."

"Yes." He was clearly surprised. "You saw it coming?"

"Yeah. I just didn't know what to do about it."

"Which is why it is such an effective attack." He handed his spear to the boy and waved at one of his men to give him another. "Are you injured? Can you continue?"

"Yeah. No. I'm fine," Peter told him, feeling blood trickling down his cheek and wiping it with his shoulder to keep from getting his hand slippery with blood. "You'll show me?"

"Yes. Watch my hands."

OOOOOO

"I told you not to _bleed_," Tony said, as they were walking back to the main building once the lesson was finished.

The boy had learned the attack M'Baku had hit him with and was really excited about it, thanking the Jabari leader with a grin when he'd finally pronounced him proficient enough to call the lesson complete.

"I probably would have been alright if the haft hadn't broken," Peter said, apologetically. He looked at Pepper, who was walking beside him, bracketing him like she and Tony always did, and reached for her hand. "I'm sorry. I wasn't fast enough. But I'm _okay_. Really."

She didn't look convinced, of course. Especially when she glanced at his cheek, which had a welt that had bled, but was now just raw and red. Realistically, she knew it wasn't _that_ terrible. From a mom point of view, though, it was a gaping wound that would probably scar them both for life. She forced down a purely mental sigh, and squeezed his hand before releasing it and putting her arm around him.

"I know, sweetheart. It's okay."

She let him go, but stayed close to him.

"We'll get some ice on it once we meet up with T'Challa's jet," Tony assured her.

They were going to have lunch with the Jabari, but then the schedule was for them to hike their way back to where they'd left the land sleds – and would be picked up by a jet sent from the capitol, to save them the long ride back.

"Your son is very good," M'Baku told Pepper, walking with them. "You should be proud of him. As quick as he is, now, when he reaches manhood, he will be incredible."

She smiled. Both at the praise, and because she knew that while he did mean it, he was also trying to reassure her about the wounding Peter had taken. And she appreciated it. Mothers were mothers, everywhere, she knew. He wondered how many times he'd had to calm a hysterical mother down after something similar had happened in one of his bouts in his home capitol.

"I am proud of him," she said, to M'Baku and to Peter, reminding him of the fact. "Thank you very much for the lesson. As much as it frightened me, I know he had a very good time, and is excited by what you taught him."

"It was my pleasure." And now, his share of retribution was paid. "Perhaps, over lunch, you can explain what a bear is."

Pepper laughed, and nodded.

"Of course."


	82. Chapter 82

Lunch was a boisterous affair.

It was outside the main building and was more of a potluck than anything, as far as Tony could figure. It seemed that everyone in the village was there; men women and a lot of children, who spent most of their time switching between eating and spending time with Peter, who was really good about being the center of attention to so many young people.

Jad's wife had mixed up a compound of herbs and had treated Peter's cheek before the meal, cleaning the blood off and applying the poultice, which had made Tony a little nervous – Peter and anything to do with herbs or raw plants were beginning to make him nervous – but that the boy assured him and Pepper had eased the pain a bit.

Surprisingly, or maybe not, M'Baku spent most of the meal in conversation with Pepper. She'd shown him a bear, first of all, giving him an idea of what had attacked Peter and caused the scarring on his side, and then, of course, had had to tell the tale, even though she hadn't been there. That had led to an explanation of how Tony had kept the creature from killing the unarmed boy, and brought up the Ironman suit, again.

In the daylight, and making sure that Jad had prepared everyone to see him do it, Tony had activated his suit, allowing the villagers – and the leader of the Jabari – to see the way it molded to Stark and while he _did_ activate some of the weaponry, he didn't fire anything off, of course.

"It is much like T'Challa's habit," M'Baku said, impressed that the Americans had such refined tech.

He'd been certain they were pretty much just barbarians with guns.

"From what I've seen it is," Tony agreed, releasing the suit and once more simply wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

Peter had come over to watch the discussion and when he had a chance and Pepper and Tony were being shown some of the other craftwork the villagers did, he pulled Jad and M'Baku both into conversation.

"What does one of your wood carvings usually cost?" he asked. "If I wanted to _commission_ a couple of them, I mean?"

M'Baku frowned.

"You have a hundred coming for retribution, Peter. You don't need to worry about the cost. If you want something specific, we can have one made."

"The retribution is separate from what I want, though," Peter said. "I want _you_ to pick the ones I'm going to get for that – you, and the various elders, if the works are going to be taken from different villages. The ones I want to commission are _special_, though, and I'd like to pay for them, so they can be given as gifts from me."

The two men nodded their understanding. Jad called his son over to speak with them as well, since he'd already told them the evening before that the man was one of the finest carvers in the village.

"Normally, if someone were to ask me to create a carving, specifically, I would seek recompense of two goats, or a cow."

Peter rolled his eyes with a smile.

"So what's the going rate of a goat, if I don't have that?"

"I'm not sure," all three men admitted. "We do not sell our carvings; they are usually traded for things that we need."

"If someone from the capitol came to buy one?"

"They would know to bring goats or raw material."

The men all smiled at the perplexity of the problem, but Jad's son shrugged.

"It is worth one carving to me that you entertained my children."

"That's just being a good guest," Peter pointed out, smiling. "They're cute, too, so it was fun. I'll tell you what. If you'll allow, I'll give money to Shuri, T'Challa's sister, and have her buy you six goats – or however many you think it's worth, and you make me three carvings."

"That would be fine," the carver said. "I assume you have a specific image for each?"

"I do. Do you have paper? Something I can draw on to give you an idea of what I want?"

OOOOOO

"Where have you been?" Tony asked, when Peter and Jad's son joined them almost an hour later.

"Doing some business," the boy told him with a smile, hugging him, cheerfully for just a moment, before moving over to do the same to Pepper, who looked at him, oddly, but didn't even ask.

"We're about ready to leave."

"Yeah. I had to mooch another bag to put all my new vests in."

Pepper nodded, pointing to the large hide bag that she'd been given.

"We did, too."

"Can never have enough cool vests," Peter said.

The villagers knew they were leaving and were saying their goodbyes to Pepper, Tony and Peter. The men who had come with them and M'Baku were already gathering their supplies, and that was enough warning for the visitors to get their things together, too. They were thanking Jad and the other elders for the visit when one of the older children ran up to them and rattled off a couple of sentences to Peter before handing over the piglet that they'd seen him running around with that morning.

The boy hesitated, uncertainly, and Jad and M'Baku both spoke to him in their tongue, which made Peter shrug and grin and bow to the youngster before tucking the piglet under his arm and thank him. Then, as a group, they headed for the trail that would lead them out of the foothills and back to the plain to meet the Wakandan jet.

"Are you kidding me?" Tony asked, looking at the pig Peter was holding. "What's that all about?"

"We were playing a game this morning," he said, holding up the pig. "It's a lot like football – or maybe rugby – only you have a real pig. A _baby_ one, like this guy. The winning team eats the pig."

"_What_?"

"It is a common sport," M'Baku said, listening to the conversation as they walked.

"I didn't _know_ that, of course," Peter added. "So when my team won, and they were talking about having their mothers prepare him for lunch, I swiped him and made a game out of telling them that where I'm from we don't play with our _food_. So the kids decided to let me keep him – which is why they just gave him to me."

Stark rolled his eyes.

"What are you going to do with him?"

"Well first thing, he's going to get a _name_, so no one _eats_ him."

"Peter Porker?" Pepper asked.

The boy grinned.

"A _different_ name. Then I'll see if Jack will take him. He already has a couple of pigs on his farm, and then he can play with Spot. Or maybe he can go to a petting zoo." He looked a little defensive. "I couldn't _eat_ him."

Tony put his hand on the boy's shoulder for just a minute, and then reached over and took the piglet from him.

"Of _course_ you couldn't. He's too cute to have for breakfast."

One of the men said something in the Jabari language and they all laughed.

"Why do I get the feeling one of them mentioned eating him for a different meal?" Pepper asked, smiling.

"That is exactly what he said," M'Baku told her, still chuckling.

OOOOOO

"What did you do to your _face_?" Shuri asked as soon as the ramp came down on the plane and the princess and a couple of members of the Dora Milaje walked down to meet with those waiting at the land sleds.

Peter shrugged.

"Had a fighting lesson."

She looked at M'Baku, who shrugged.

"He is very good, Princess, but accidents _do_ happen and in this case a staff broke. Advise your brother of such. There is no impingement of honor."

"Agreed," Tony added, knowing that he needed to make sure as Peter's father, there was no lingering doubt that the Jabari had purposely tried to wound his son to get a little blood for his wood carvings and woolen rugs. "It was definitely an accident. We were there."

She scowled, prettily, but nodded her acceptance.

"I will inform my brother thus. The spears arrived this morning, too."

"Good. The wooden carvings and woolen rugs will be gathered and transported to the capitol before Peter and his family leave, so they can take them home, as well."

Shuri nodded, again.

"We will watch for them." She turned to the pig, which was now being carried by Pepper, who had been cooing over the little guy and shading him with her hat while they'd been waiting for their plane to arrive. "And the piglet?"

"The village children were playing Gasabe with Peter this morning, and he won. Rather than eat it, the children gifted it to him."

She smiled, well aware that he wouldn't have been able to watch them eat their prize. But he was fun to tease, and she was friends enough with him that she could.

"We could have him for _dinner_…"

Peter rolled his eyes.

"I'm not putting him – or _me_ – on your plane until you promise him safe passage – all the way back to my home."

"Fine. You have my word."

Peter smiled and turned to M'Baku.

"Thank you for the lesson. I know it was your honor and all, but it was great."

"You are welcome." The Jabari leader offered the boy his arm for a ritual handshake. "If you are ever in Wakanda, again, come visit us in the Jabari capitol. We will have an extended stay."

He shook Tony's hand, as well as Pepper's – once she handed the pig off to Peter – and then he and his men loaded into the land sleds, while Shuri shepherded Tony and his little family into the jet.

"We assumed you would want a chance to relax after your visit, so tonight there is nothing planned but an informal dinner."

Tony sighed, leaning back into the leather chair of the luxurious jet, and closing his eyes, planning to nap on the way back to the palace.

"Sounds good."

"And my pig?" Peter asked, looking at the piglet that Shuri was holding. "Is there someplace to put him until we're ready to go home?"

She nodded.

"I'll make sure he is put in a safe place."

"Thanks." He smiled, and remembered something else. "Oh. And I need to know what it would cost for you to buy me six of those goats that the Jabari raise."

"We're not taking _goats_ home, Peter," Tony told him, not even opening his eyes. "One farm animal per trip, and you've already got a pig out of this one."

The boy smiled.

"No. I know."

"They are _very_ prized. For six? Perhaps 200 dollars."

Peter grinned and reached for his wallet. He had that much from his share of the bets everyone made with Natasha.

"Great. I'll need them delivered, so whatever extra that costs."

"What kind of business were you doing there?" Pepper asked, curiously.

"It's a surprise," the boy told her. "You'll see."

"More of a surprise than they're going to get when they see your pig?" Tony pointed out.

"Well… probably not."


	83. Chapter 83

"You don't trust her?"

"Of course I do. I just want to say goodbye."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"He's a _pig_, Peter. He doesn't need you to say goodbye. You've had him all of eighteen hours."

"Not just _any_ pig," Pepper said, smiling. "_Ironpig_."

Stark ignored their snickers, secretly pleased by the name, although he'd never admit it.

"Fine. Go check on Ironpig and then get back here and finish packing. Four days, but figure _five_, just in case."

"I'm already packed. I did it when I got up this morning."

Stark frowned.

"You packed extra clothes? Toothbrush? Comb? We're going to be out in the wilderness, right Shuri?"

"Yes." She was amused, and not bothering to hide it. "No amenities other than what the land sleds will carry – mostly food and the tents, that sort of thing."

"I'm set," Peter said. He turned to Shuri. "Let's go check IP, we can meet them at breakfast." He looked at Pepper. "Meet at breakfast?"

"Yes."

The two teens left, and Tony shook his head.

"I'll bet he has one pair of jeans, a pair of underwear and two t-shirts in his bag."

"And that hooded sweater they gave him in the village."

"Yeah." Those were a must, really, since they were getting ready to be out on a four day safari and they already knew that it got cold at night. Not as cold as it did in the foothills by the Jabari lands, but still chilly. "Think we should check his bag? Is that going too far as far as the mom and dad thing?"

Tony shrugged, just as uncertain as she was – and for the same reason. Was it a sign they didn't trust him to make sure that he had what he needed? If he didn't have what he needed, he'd be cold, or miserable, or worse, maybe.

"Which way are you leaning?"

They both grinned; who would have ever thought _this_ was going to be a conversation the two would end up having? Check on their son's packing skills? Or leave it alone and trust him? Them with a son.

"Well, we trust him, I suppose. And _you_ pack extra warm shirts, just in case."

Tony's jeans wouldn't fit Peter, but his shirts and sweatshirts would, although they'd be baggy. Peter was a teen boy; he could wear the same pair of jeans for a week or two, if he was allowed to – and he'd tried it before.

"Sounds right."

OOOOOOOO

"You're really going to get to come with us all four days?" Peter asked as Shuri led him out of the suite and down the hallway.

She nodded.

"For your safari, yes, all four days. Then we will allow you and your parents to have some time, just for yourselves, at the villa they stayed in when they first arrived. Then, a final night here in the palace, to give me time to pack and Azoru a chance to arrive, and your jet should be here to take us back to your home."

It was clear she was looking forward to that, as well.

"Sounds great."

"I will purchase your goats while you are with Tony and Pepper, and send them to the Jabari village."

"I appreciate it."

"And I am not allowed to tell Pepper and Tony what you are doing?"

"Well, it's a surprise – not really just for them, but yeah, I don't want anyone to know – if you don't mind?"

"I will guard your secret with my honor."

He smiled at the pompous way she made her proclamation, and took her hand, grinning as he kissed it.

"Thank you, _darling_."

Her answering smile was just as mischievous, but she hesitated as they walked.

"May I ask you a question? You do not have to answer it, if it is an uncomfortable one."

"Sure."

"Have you and MJ made future plans?"

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Like for when I get home?"

She smiled.

"No. For _marriage_."

"Oh." He blushed, which was common for him. "No. She's barely my girlfriend, really – so far. We're still in the getting to know you stages. And Tony has reminded me several times that he's _not_ interested in becoming a grandfather any time, soon, so I'm not going any further than that, _probably_ not for a long time."

Shuri frowned, giving him a look that he didn't recognize; worried and sad all in one.

"You want to have children?"

"Oh. Well, no. I mean, not for a long time. And not – I don't know. It's a _lot_ of responsibility – and I just got a cat, and a _pig_. I probably have enough to worry about, right now. You know?"

"Yes."

"Why do you ask?" he asked her.

"I wanted to make sure she will not hear of the teasing we have peppered your parents and my brother with and be hurt by it – especially if it happens in front of her while I am there."

"Oh. Yeah. No, she knows about it. She's okay." He smiled. "I'm not sure she really _cares_, though. We're not so close that she'd be jealous, I think. I think she's more amused by me than… um… in love with me."

The princess smiled.

"That is how _all_ women look at men. Get used to it."

Peter grinned, but was saved from answering when she led him through a door that came out to a small courtyard. There were plants and flowers of all kinds, a fountain that trickled merrily through it, with several low slung chairs and shaded areas with tables. One corner had a small area of freshly tilled soil and the other corner was closed in with what looked like new fencing.

"This is my mother's private garden," Shuri told him, walking over to the fenced area. "When she heard I was going to leave Ironpig with one of our herdsmen, she suggested that he stay with her, so she had this enclosure built for him, where she will be able to check on him several times a day."

They both looked over the fence and saw the piglet looking up at them. Peter smiled; it had a sparkly collar studded with what looked like gemstones running along it.

"A collar?"

"It is a necklace of hers. In case he escapes, somehow, the staff knows to bring him back and not to confuse him with dinner."

"That's really nice of her."

She smiled, again.

"My mother is taken with you, and would not want to be the one who has to tell you if something happened to him while we are gone. She will take good care of him."

That made Peter smile, too.

"Will she be at breakfast?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll thank her, then, for taking such good care of him."

OOOOOOO

Breakfast was informal. Which meant there wasn't an official royal audience. It was T'Challa, Shuri and Ramonda, along with Peter, Tony and Pepper. There were a few servers, and the ever present palace guards and Dora Milaje. A group small enough that everyone could hear the same conversation and be a part of it.

That morning, the conversation was obviously concerning their safari. Especially since Shuri was going along, obviously. One thing for the Wakandans to lose a few tourists in the wilds of their land, it was quite another if they were to lose their _princess_. T'Challa, Pepper and Tony were discussing their itinerary, to make sure they all knew what to expect, and Shuri and Peter were talking to Ramonda about Ironpig and the fact that not one of them had any idea what to feed him.

"There will be two land sleds," T'Challa said. "You really only need one for as few of you as are going, but there will be an extra just in case something happens to the first. Obviously there is instant communications. There are to be four guides with you; they will be responsible for all the cooking, setting up your tents at night and making sure the fires are lit."

"Will we see lions?" Peter asked, hopefully.

"Almost certainly. They are sometimes shy, but the guides are experienced and will know where to go. Lions, elephants, giraffe and all the creatures you would normally expect to see."

"But we don't try _catching_ them," Tony told the boy. "Right?"

Peter smiled.

"Of course not."


	84. Chapter 84

There were four guides between the two land sleds that they were using. Peter had a feeling that two of the guides were more along the line of bodyguards for Shuri than _actual_ guides, especially since they made sure to be in the land sled that she was in – which was the same one Peter was in, to start.

They all left from the edge of the city, and the speed they started with was a fast one, more designed to get them out into the wilderness as soon as possible. Peter didn't mind, though, because they passed a lot of farming communities – smaller than actual villages, they looked more like a few families had banded together – and _that_ was interesting to see, also. Of course, he was a people watcher, anyway, and Wakanda just gave him a lot more people to watch.

They didn't slow down, however. The guides had a place in mind for them to stop for each meal and where they would be stopping at night, and where they were right now wasn't as interesting as the places that they had in mind. Always excitable, Peter was right up in the front of the sled, standing next to the driver, and chatting with him and the other guard about what they did when they weren't out camping with tourists. Shuri lounged on the seats near the back with Tony and Pepper, watching Peter and enjoying the company of the two and discussing what they had planned for the rest of the summer once their honeymoon was over and they were back home.

"I imagine I'll have a lot of catching up to do," Pepper said, not looking too concerned.

Of course, she was in touch with her executives, and knew nothing was out of control, even though she wasn't there.

"We'll finish the whole retribution thing with the Jabari kid," Tony told Shuri. "Then, once you and he are safely back home, I'll probably vanish into my workshop with Peter's block of vibranium and see if I can figure out all of its secrets – maybe integrate some into a suit in some way."

Or, even _more_ interesting, maybe he'd see how he might be able to add it into one of _Peter's_. There was something to be said for the idea of the boy having the added protection of bullet-proofing – even if it was only in the more vulnerable places.

"I'll send you home with a block of your own," she offered. "Or, if you are _fortunate_, perhaps you will find some in Peter's mine. I know T'Challa told the guides to show it to him."

"Your brother understands that Peter doesn't really _need_ a vibranium mine, right? The wagers we make are usually just for fun."

Shuri nodded, her eyes twinkling with good humor.

"If you address the issue with him, he will say that it is a matter of _honor_. I believe he was simply looking for a good way to get rid of it, and used his wager with Peter as a method."

"Uh huh."

"Besides, _I_ want my birthday party."

Pepper smiled, now, too.

"All you needed to do was _ask_. You should know by now that you're always welcomed to come for a visit."

"And if that visit coincides with your birthday, even better," Tony added.

Shuri started to say something, but the sled slowed down, and they all saw Peter pointing, excitedly, and looking back at them. The three stood up and walked to the front of the vehicle, looking the way Peter – and the driver – were pointing.

A pride of lions were sitting in the shade of a large rock outcrop, staying out of the heat.

"They have young," Peter said, grinning at Pepper, while Tony sidled up beside the boy and casually took hold of not just the belt loops of his jeans but the back waistband area. Just in case. "Look, Pepper."

She smiled, because one of the big males was being stalked by two cubs, who were clearly not as interested in napping as he was. She pulled out her camera and took several photos before the land sled moved on, letting the lions continue their relaxing in peace. Peter rolled his eyes as Tony released his grip on him.

"Just making sure," the billionaire said with a wink as he ruffled the boy's hair, amused.

"I already _have_ a kitten," Peter pointed out, not at all taken back by the grip Tony had taken on him.

He had no intention of doing anything crazy, though, on their safari. It was going to be fun, but he wanted Pepper and Tony to have fun, too, and that meant keeping himself out of trouble so _they_ didn't have to worry about keeping him out of trouble, and could focus on enjoying themselves. He had every intention of sticking close to them so they wouldn't worry about what he was off doing.

"We will stop for lunch in an hour," the driver told them.

This time when Tony went back to sit in the rear of the vehicle, Peter went with him, leaving Pepper and Shuri talking to the guides about what they were going to have for lunch and what kind of place they were stopping at. The boy pulled out his phone, while Tony put a hand on the back of his seat.

"Who are you calling?"

"No one," Peter told him. "I'm going to email Stephen the picture of the lions. He told me he wanted to see the first one we saw – just because he wanted proof that it didn't eat me."

"You think he had a bad experience at the zoo as a kid, or something?" Stark asked, smiling. "He's pretty _sure_ something out there, somewhere, is planning on eating him."

"Natasha might know."

"Are you having fun?" Tony asked him when he put his phone away and leaned back into his seat, knowing that Shuri and Pepper would let them know if any other interesting animals were to be seen.

"Yeah. I know it hasn't been as much fun for you guys as it should have been, but there's a lot of time left to make it up to you."

"You don't have anything to make up for, Peter," Tony told him, seriously. "We've already talked about how you can't control the actions of others, and you certainly aren't responsible for them. Right?"

"Yeah. But still…"

"_But still_ nothing. We're having a good time. And, even better, we got to see some Jabari things that no one else can say they've seen. That's a definite win."

"True."

"_And_ we got a pig out of it."

The boy smiled.

"When we get home I'll take Shuri and Azoru with me to give him to Jack. She wants to meet Spot."

"Sure you don't want to keep him?"

"Where would we put him?"

Tony shrugged.

"We could make him a pen, somewhere. Lord knows there's plenty of leftovers in the commissary to feed him."

Peter frowned. And then smiled.

"You want to _keep_ him."

"What? No. Don't be crazy. It's a pig. I'd be too tempted to eat him some night, looking for a midnight snack. And then I'd have to explain to you that some wild animal took off with him or something."

"Uh huh. Does _Pepper_ know?"

"There's nothing to _know_, son," Stark protested. "Just because he's named Ironpig, doesn't mean anything. Certainly it doesn't mean we should _keep_ him. Next thing you know, we'll have Ironalligator, and Ironbunny and even Ironcow."

"What are you two arguing about?" Pepper asked, smiling, as she made her way back to sit near them.

"Tony _likes_ Ironpig," Peter said, with a grin.

"I _never_ said that, Pep," he said, raising his hand. "I like Iron_bacon_, is more like it."

"We're _not_ keeping him, Tony."

"I didn't say I _wanted_ to, Pepper. Peter's imagining things. You know how he gets… Young kid and all that. Doesn't listen for anything…"

"He's going to be _huge_."

"I know."

He _didn't_, but he didn't want to admit that, of course.

"Don't worry, mom," Peter assured her. "I'm going to put my foot down and take him to Jack's the moment we get home."

"And if Jack doesn't _want_ a pig?" she asked, smiling – and still feeling gooey at being called mom.

"We'll find him a place in a petting zoo, or something – or I'll give him to Lila."

"Clint will eat him," Tony pointed out.

"Not now. He has a _name_. Lila told me that he told her once it has a name it isn't food."

"Jack has already agreed to take him," Pepper told her little family.

Tony frowned.

"You called him?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

Peter grinned.

"See? I told you."

"I didn't want to keep him," Tony said. Again.

Much.


	85. Chapter 85

They stopped for lunch near a small stand of scrubby looking trees that afforded a bit of shade from the sun, but they didn't linger over the meal. The guides told them that they weren't really – technically – at the area where they would be doing their safari, and this was just their day of travel to get them there. Which meant that they were going to allow them a chance to see any of the interesting animals that they came upon, but they weren't actively looking for any just yet.

The good thing about the animals, they explained, was that they were constantly moving, but always the same way every year. Which made it easy to find them.

Lunch was bread and a cold meat stew that was just a little spicier than Peter was used to. Pepper and Tony both enjoyed it, and Shuri told them it was common traveling fare for all the tribes. He didn't have much, but he filled up on bread, which he _did_ like. Then he helped the guides pack everything back onto the land sleds as they moved on, once more.

"We are going to have a central camp," the driver of the sled they were on told them as they went. "And leave from there every day, going a different direction to find animals to show you. The camp is used by herders, at different times throughout the growing season, but is empty right now. There is a small shed that we can use for cooking, and a latrine rather than digging a trench."

"Which is much better than using a tree," Tony agreed.

He wasn't the only one to think so.

"We have tents," the guide said. "It is for you to decide how you want to sleep. We will have one tent for our use, and there are three besides. The area has a portable field that will keep wild animals at bay in the night so we will have no need to fear any attack by a nocturnal creature."

"Hippos are extremely dangerous," the other guide said. "And they move at night, in the dark. Especially if they have young. To avoid predators."

As they traveled, they discussed the various animals that they would find, and what – if any – dangers each may pose to their group. It was obvious that the guides were being very careful with their charges – especially Shuri, most likely – and were very knowledgeable about the area and the creatures in that area.

Tony approved.

The sun was just starting to sink on the horizon when they reached their camp. Like they'd been told, it was a rough campsite, with a large firepit, with piles of wood around it, a small lean to near the fire for a kitchen and a rough outhouse-looking building a bit down the trail. There were a couple of trees, but they were like all the other trees they'd seen; gnarled and dry, with only the barest amount of foliage. About a football field away from the kitchen, a small creek meandered through the area, large enough to supply water for whatever they needed, but small enough that it wasn't hiding any predators they would need to be wary of.

"Please, have a look around," the guides said as they stopped the land sleds and got out to stretch their legs. "Do not go far. We will unpack our supplies, set up the camp and start dinner."

Peter hopped out of the sled and offered Pepper a steadying hand before Tony could, smiling excitedly. She frowned, looking at him as she got out.

"Use more sunscreen, tomorrow, sweetheart. Your nose is burning."

He rolled his eyes at the mothering, but he secretly (or maybe not even secretly) loved the fact that she was willing to always look out for him like that, and he just nodded.

"I will. Can I go look around?"

"Stay close," Tony told him. "Plenty of time tomorrow to find the wildlife, right?"

"I will watch him, Tony," Shuri assured him and Pepper both, smiling.

They left the land sleds, walking toward the water.

"Who's going to watch her, though?" Stark asked Pepper with a wink.

OOOOOOO

"Your country is really pretty," Peter told Shuri as they sat on a rock and took their shoes off to soak their feet in the stream.

"Yes. We do not often get to show it off, so I am enjoying this."

"How often do you do safaris?"

"This is my first time."

"_Really_? How?"

"We never had a reason to go," she pointed out. "I see these animals in my journeys from the capitol to the various tribal lands as I was growing up, so why set out to purposely look at them? That would be like you going out to tour a neighborhood that just happens to have a lot of dogs or cats."

"Huh. I suppose that makes sense. Well, good. That means it'll be a new experience for you, too. I just assumed you and your brother drew straws and you lost."

"Why would we want to draw _straws_?"

He was still explaining the tradition when his watch chimed at him.

"_Peter? Come on back, guys. It's time to eat."_

The camp was set up by the time they got their feet dried and their shoes back on and returned. Three tents were surrounding the firepit. Not large – tall enough to stand in and maybe the size of the one that they'd taken camping when Tony and Stephen and Peter had gone – but made of a very sturdy material; something like canvas, only tougher.

"Boys in that one," Tony said to Peter, pointing at the tent on the right. "Girls in there. The guides have the other one."

"You don't have to separate from Pepper," Peter said to Tony as he brought his bag from the sled and carried it into the tent where Tony was setting up their sleeping bags. "I could share with Shuri. We wouldn't do anything. You _know_ that."

"I _do_," he agreed. "And I absolutely trust you, believe me. However, you need to remember that this isn't home, and there are certain proprieties that need to be maintained here. She's not only your age, but she's a _princess_. Can't be sacking out with a teenaged boy unattended. It'll look bad for her. So we do it the easy way and save her any grief that we can. Fair?"

"Yeah. I didn't think of that," Peter admitted.

"Which is in your favor, really," Tony said. "Are you hungry? You didn't have much lunch."

So he had noticed.

"Yeah. It was pretty spicy. I'm _good_, though. The bread is great, and there's a _lot_ of it."

They left the tent and went over to where one of the guides was preparing dinner. They had folding chairs to sit in, so they didn't have to sit on the ground, or even a log or stump, and Peter thought it was pretty relaxing to sit around the fire watching their meal cook while the fire burned merrily. Pepper and Tony had Peter between them, and Shuri was beside Tony, who had found a pocketknife and was carving on a piece of kindling that he'd taken from the massive wood pile beside the firepit.

"What are you making, Tony?" the girl asked, curiously, watching.

"If it comes out looking right, I'm making an Ironman figurine," Stark told her with a smile. "If it _doesn't_, then I'm making whatever it most closely resembles when I'm finished."

Shuri smiled and asked one of the guides if they had a knife that she could borrow so that she could carve, too, and with the two of them sufficiently distracted, Pepper pulled out her phone and started looking through her pictures, while Peter pulled his out and took pictures of the camp – and of the people around him until they were served their dinner. Ned would want to see them, and MJ would be interested.

OOOOOOO

"Good thing you brought two of those wool sweaters," Pepper said, smiling at Tony.

He nodded his agreement, looking – not at Peter, but at _Shuri_ – who was bundled into the spare garment that he'd brought in case their son hadn't properly packed himself some clothes, and was now staring, sleepily, at the fire.

"Yes." He was still working on his carving – which was pretty much a block of wood with eyes, so far. "Who'd have thought the _female_ would be the one to forget to bring her luggage?"

Shuri took the teasing good-naturedly.

"Not _all_ of my luggage," she said, rolling her eyes. "Just the one bag with the sweaters and my jacket."

"We'll be fine," Pepper assured her. "Between Tony and me, we have a lot of extra warm clothing. It'll be baggy, but that's all to the good for bundling up."

"They probably thought I didn't pack enough for myself," Peter said, leaning back in his chair wishing that he had some marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate. A s'more would have been a great treat just then. "And were just making sure I wouldn't freeze to death."

The two adults gave him shocked looks.

_"Whaaaaaat?"_

Peter rolled his eyes, and stood up, shivering a little in the cold night. Dinner had been roast with seemingly unlimited little potatoes and he'd eaten more than he probably should have and was pleasantly full, which made him sleepy.

"I'm going to bed." He moved and stood behind Pepper's chair and wrapped his arms around her from behind her, hugging her close and pressing his cheek against hers. "Night, mom."

He _almost_ said momma, and caught himself just in time, and smiled when her hand reached up to cup his cheek.

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

He smiled over at Shuri and told her goodnight, too, and then went into the tent. He took off his shoes and the hooded Jabari sweater, figuring he'd want the extra layer in the morning when it was cold, and then bundled himself into his sleeping bag.

When Tony came into the tent about forty minutes later, Peter was asleep but was shivering. Tony went back outside and mooched an extra blanket from the guide who was banking the fire for the night and went back into the tent with it, closing the entrance behind him. He draped the blanket over his son, and then moved his sleeping bag even closer to Peter's, opening it and draping at over him, too, snuggling right up beside him, more than willing to share his body heat with him.

Peter mumbled something in his sleep and curled closer to Tony, who smiled. That was the problem with being as scrawny as Peter was; no insulation. He put his arm around the boy, who stopped shivering almost immediately.

"Shhh, go to sleep, son."

He closed his eyes and went to sleep, too.


	86. Chapter 86

"_So what have you seen so far?"_

Peter grinned at Ned's image.

"So far? Everything. There are lions and cheetahs and Tony saw a jaguar, but I didn't see it – he got a picture, though. Deer, gazelle and zebra and crocodiles. Water buffalo and giraffe. Seriously, it's like being in a zoo, only we're the ones being watched."

"_Has anything attacked you?"_

"No. We stay in the sleds while we're away from camp – except at lunch time – and during the night they have this cool force-field that keeps the predators away."

"_It lets the others in?"_

"No, it keeps them out, too, but they don't want anything to do with us. What's going on there? Anything interesting?"

"_MJ is out of town, and will be for the rest of the summer, but you knew that, right?"_

"Yeah. She called me yesterday. She didn't tell me how her brother in law hurt himself, though."

"_Car accident. Her mom and dad wouldn't let her stay home alone, obviously, and they needed to go help out with things."_

"That's what she said. And she can't stay with us, because we're not there for eight more days – and then we'll have Shuri and Azoru with us."

"_You're really bringing this guy home, huh?"_

"Yeah. Want to meet him?"

"_The guy that slipped you a mickie? Yeah, you might say that. You _really_ dove out of a window?"_

"So they tell me. Try not to mention that around Tony and Pepper, okay? I think it freaks them out – and I don't blame them. I don't want to keep reminding them of all the crazy stuff I did."

"_I can't wait to see the rhino footage."_

Peter rolled his eyes.

"I'm trying to make sure it gets lost."

Ned smiled, but then his expression grew serious.

"_There was an interesting advertisement addressed to you in the paper this morning. It's one of the reasons I called; to see if you knew about it."_

"To _me_?"

"_Well, to your swinging friend."_

"Really? What did it say?"

"_It was cryptic. I'll email you and you tell me what it means when I talk to you, next. Okay?"_

"Yeah."

"_You're having a good time?"_

"Yeah. How's everything there?"

"_Good."_

"We're going to go see the vibranium mine, tomorrow while we're out and about."

"_Cool. Grab me a piece of it. I want to get started on my student loans."_

Peter grinned, and looked over when the tent opened, letting in the evening light and Tony, who walked over and stuck his face into the video feed of the call.

"I'll see what I can do. I'll talk to you later."

"_Yeah. Night, Tony!"_

"Good morning, Ned."

The call ended and Peter put his phone away, looking at Tony, who was dressed warmly against the chill of the upcoming evening.

"Ned wants to meet Azoru and see Shuri when we get back. Can he come to the compound?"

"Of course. When you talk to him, next, tell him to work it out with Natasha or Steve. Pepper's going too be beat from the vacation, so it'll be better to have one of them bring him."

"I'm going to let him have one of the Jabari carvings, too so he can pick his out – and one for his mom."

Stark nodded his approval. He'd assumed that there were going to be a lot of them handed out as souvenirs when they returned with them. And the rugs, too, for that matter.

"Good idea. Dinner's ready, why don't you come eat?"

"Yeah. I'll be right there. Thanks."

He heard his phone make an alert that he received an email, and was curious enough that he opened it, to look at the attachment Ned sent him. It was a scanned picture taken from the paper – Ned had probably taken a picture of it, instead of actually scanning it – but it was as big as the page. And in large blocky letters he read:

_SPIDERMAN:_

_YOU KNOW WHERE YOU WERE AND WHERE I WAS_

_I WANT TO TALK_

_NOTHING MORE_

_YOU KNOW WHO THIS IS_

_GET IN TOUCH_

Peter frowned. Not because he didn't know who it was from. It had to be the mafia guy. He wondered if Tony and Pepper knew about the ad. Or Natasha. _Natasha_ probably did, he decided. Tony probably _didn't_. He didn't look worried, anyway. No more worried than he did every time they saw an interesting looking animal – like the baby giraffe that morning – and he winked at Peter and grabbed hold of him so he couldn't jump of the sled and chase it down to try and steal it out from under its mother's nose.

He grinned at that, because he had it coming, he supposed, and besides, it was _Tony_ teasing him. He loved that. _And_ it amused Pepper and Shuri, too, so that much better.

He turned his phone off, deciding that there wasn't anything he could do just then, anyway, and left the tent to go have dinner with the others.

OOOOOOO

"Did you see this?"

Natasha looked at the paper that Nick was holding up.

"Yes."

"_And_? How are we going to handle it? Or _are_ we?"

She shrugged.

"That isn't from King."

"How do you know that?"

"I checked it out this morning. The woman who placed the ad clearly did it for a guy who doesn't trace back to the Russian mafia, much less someone high enough up on King's chain of command."

"So you're telling me that we have more than one set of people looking for Peter?"

Romanoff nodded.

"Only _peripherally_. Peter – well, _Spiderman_ – is a hot commodity, right now. Word is out that King wants him, and that he's willing to pay a reward for him. Only, they don't all know why he wants him. Everyone and their dogs are going to be trying to be the one who delivers him up and collects that fee. The big concern is that they might hurt him trying to bring him in. Or that they grab some copy-cat trying to pretend to be Spiderman and someone gets hurt."

"What are you planning to do about it?"

"I _was_ going to go talk to King and see what his intentions are for Peter. Now I'm forced to wait and se how he deals with this ad – and if someone is convincing enough that he thinks they really are Spiderman to try to collect any reward."

"You think that's a possibility?"

"No. King's too smart for that. He'll have a test in mind; something only Peter would know. The only plus side is he's going to be inundated with these imposters and other bounty hunters and that might make him lose interest completely."

"But we're not going to count on it, right?"

"Of course not. I'm watching things, Nick. Trust me."

"I do. I know Tony does, too. Does he know about this?"

"Not, yet. I'll make sure that he does."

"Let me know if you need anything."

OOOOOOOO

"This isn't you, right, Alex?"

"If I weren't so annoyed by it, I'd be insulted that you even asked, Joel."

"I had to ask. Who did it?"

"A petty schemer. He's taken care of, but the damage is done. My people have had twenty-five calls this morning from people claiming to either be Spiderman, or have Spiderman and are asking what kind of reward we're talking about. We are being distracted, now, and there's no way your kid is going to come forward in this mess."

"So we're going to have to try a different route, then?"

"I was thinking I would do something a little off the wall. With your permission, of course."

"Yeah? What?"

"We're looking for a superhero, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then we need to contact _other_ superheroes, and see if _they_ can find him for us – or if they know him."

"You're going to talk to Tony Stark?" King hazarded. "I heard he's out of the country – just got married."

"I'm not going to go quite that far up the line – or wait for him to come home if I can avoid it. I was thinking of _Romanoff_."

King frowned.

"She isn't a superhero."

"She works with the Avengers, Joel. She knows more than they do, I imagine. If anyone can find this guy for us, she can."

"And how are you going to convince her to do that for you? You threaten her, you're as good as dead, you _know_ that, right?"

"Yeah. I've met her, before. She's as good as they come. I'm not going to threaten her. As a matter of fact, I'm going to be very careful _not_ to threaten her. I just want to feel her out, see if I can find out if she knows the guy or not. If she does, maybe I can convince her you just want to talk."

"I thought we decided this guy isn't an Avenger…"

"I'm convinced of it. But it doesn't mean he doesn't know them – or they don't know him."

King scowled, and then nodded his acceptance of that.

"Fine. Talk to Romanoff – but you be careful. I don't want her thinking we're starting any kind of war or campaign against her people – or her. Got it?"

"I'll be careful."

Duh. He hadn't lived this long being dumb, after all.

"How are you planning on reaching out to her? Not an ad in the paper, I assume?"

"I'm going to walk right up and talk to her."

"Yeah? Good luck with that."


	87. Chapter 87

"So… this thing is _safe_, right?" Tony asked the guides, looking at the entrance to the mine, suspiciously. "I don't have to worry about cave ins or anything like that?"

The guides all nodded, but it was the oldest one who spoke. He was somewhat their leader, even though he usually just did the driving and the cooking – leaving the more menial chores to the younger hands around him.

"There has not been a recorded cave in of a vibranium mine in more than a century. The technology keeps the walls stable and the properties of the ore itself maintain its stability – even when mined from the seams."

Tony nodded, then, and looked at the teens, who had been standing at the opening, watching him and waiting for permission to go exploring. Shuri was _princess_, yes, but Tony was _father_, and she recognized that he and Pepper were the ones who would allow or disapprove letting Peter explore, which meant they regulated her, as well, vicariously.

Exploring alone was no fun, after all.

"You heard him. Be _careful_, though, okay?"

"Yeah."

They both had flashlights, since the lighting in the mine was limited to very faint bulbs left over from the heyday when there were dozens of locals working the vibranium. They knew, because on the trip to the mine that morning, they'd been given all of the background on not only this mine, but the rest in the area. Peter's mine was a small one, and now defunct, but it had once produced high quality ore.

Peter's eyesight was good enough that he didn't really need the flashlight, but it would provide Shuri with twice the light, so he'd take it along.

"There will not really be much to see," the princess admitted as they walked into the gaping maw of the mine, where the temperature dropped noticeably compared to the outside. "But sometimes the minors leave interesting items. Nonessential for them, but interesting for us. And we can try to find gemstones."

Which was why they both had tiny rock hammer with them - which had made Peter immediately reference the movie Shawshank Redemption - although Shuri hadn't heard of it.

"Cool."

There weren't rails on the ground like there would be in a normal mine, which kept Peter from mentioning Indiana Jones as well. The same tech used on the land sleds had been employed for mining carts, making removal of the mined ore far simpler than other mines.

"Sometimes one will find diamonds and other gems in the vibranium mines, too," Shuri reminded him as they walked along, their fingertips casually brushing against the walls of the mine entrance, feeling the rough-hewn rock and an occasional minor flaw where perhaps a gemstone might have been at one time. "The pressure from the initial asteroid impact hitting the area caused much heat and force."

"If I find one I can keep it?"

"It _is_ your mine, Peter."

He grinned.

"Let's find me a diamond for Pepper, then. Or _Natasha_."

"You could buy them one."

"Yeah, but _Tony_ could buy Pepper one even easier than I could, and Stephen would give Natasha anything she asked for. So _my_ diamond would have to be special. Otherwise it's just a rock."

There were many branching entrances from the main tunnel that they saw as they explored, but to be safe, they simply stayed in the main one to start with. Once they both became more comfortable with the dark quiet of the place, they finally decided to take one of the others, utilizing a lighting panel on the wall at the entrance that was a clever way the minors had developed to avoid getting lost in the darkness among the many different passageways.

Shuri actually knew what to look for, while Peter was absently being fed information from the Mind stone as he found small pebbles stuck into the larger stone and would think that maybe he found something. He would glance at it, but all he saw in his mind was rock, not what it was aside from that.

They did find several larger stones that bore further examination once they left the darkness of the mine. Not diamonds – after an entire morning of searching, Shuri was the only one who had actually found a rough diamond that might be worth cutting and polishing, depending on the quality – but there were faint purples, reds and greens, that subtly spoke of being other possible gems, and they took them with them in a small, leather pouch one of the guides had provided Peter.

"_Time to call it, guys,"_ Tony's voice finally came over Peter's watch. _"Start heading back this way."_

"We're coming," Peter assured him.

They did stop a couple of times to check out a few other possible stones that were protruding, but the journey back was without incident – somewhat to Peter's relief – and they saw the light from the cave opening before too long. Blinking back tears as the bright light assaulted their now sensitive eyes, the two frowned when they saw Pepper sitting on the back of their sled, Tony and one of the guides hovering over her, protectively, looking at her foot.

"What happened?" Peter asked, looking for blood or any indication of major injury.

She rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed with herself.

"I stepped on some gravel on our way out and rolled my ankle. It's _okay_, don't look so worried."

"It is a sprain," the guide confirmed, still sliding his fingers gently along the slightly swollen ankle, watching Pepper's reaction as he did so. "We will wrap it and use cooling packs from the first aid kit to keep the swelling and pain down."

Peter looked at Tony, knowing he was the best indicator of how serious the injury was. His father was calm – concerned, yes – but not worried.

"Did you have Friday look at it?"

"First thing once I carried her out of the cave," he confirmed. "It's a simple soft tissue injury. We'll keep her off her feet the rest of the day and keep it elevated and see how it looks tomorrow."

"I'm fine," Pepper said. Again. "But now Tony gets to tote me around. I should have done it days ago."

Stark winked at Peter, which warned him a smart-assed comment was coming before he even said it. Sure enough…

"She should have done it _before_ she had that dessert, last night," he said, rubbing his back as if he'd strained himself carrying her around.

Peter smiled; which had been the whole point, he knew. Tony and Pepper were making sure he didn't worry. It was such a mom and dad thing. He loved them for it.

"Did you guys find anything interesting before you turned around?"

"A chunk of vibranium ore," Tony told him. "It's not refined, but I can do that back home, in my workroom, and it'll give me some samples of the stuff in the raw, too, to look at. You guys?"

"Some gems – maybe." Shuri said. "We will look at them better back at the camp and see if they are worth preparing."

Pepper smiled, and reached into a bag similar to the one Shuri was holding.

"Look what I found," she said, holding out a chunk of something that was a dull, reddish brown color.

It was also about the size of a grapefruit.

"What is it?" Peter asked, taking it and looking at it.

"Tanzanite," Tony said, confidently. Of course he had Friday right there with him whenever he needed information on something he didn't already know the answer to. "If you heat it up, that brown color goes away and it'll turn blueish-purple."

"Can I keep it, Peter?" Pepper asked, allowing her eyes to get big and hopeful; a mimicry of Peter at his best. "_Please_?"

He grinned and handed it back to her.

"Yeah. Of course. Anything for momma, right?"

Which made her smile, and turn to Tony.

"Such a sweet boy. And _you_ wanted to leave him in the mine."

The billionaire's eyes went wide and innocent.

"Don't listen to her, Peter. The ankle injury has her delirious."


	88. Chapter 88

"Need anything?"

Pepper rolled her eyes, touched, but a little exasperated, as well. She shook her head.

"I'm fine. _Really_."

Shuri smiled from her position across the land sled from where Pepper was seated, one foot on the floor of the vehicle but the injured foot propped up on Peter's thigh, while Tony was sitting right beside her, bracing her in case the motion of their traveling threw her off balance since she couldn't brace herself with her other foot up. It was clear both of them were concerned about making her as comfortable as possible.

"Is the cold pack still cold?" Peter asked, looking down at it and brushing his fingers against the gel pack that was resting against her sock.

"It's _fine_," Pepper assured him. She was clearly not in any danger, but both of the guys in her life were acting as though it might fall off at any minute. Which was sweet, but unnecessary. "Really. Why don't you go up to the driver and look for any interesting animals?"

"I want to stay with you."

Tony's smile was amused and understanding.

"I'll watch her, Peter. Go see how much longer until we get back to camp, okay?"

The boy nodded after only the briefest of hesitations, and carefully transferred Pepper's foot to the cooler that had held their lunch, bringing it over to keep the injured ankle propped and elevated. Then he stood up and moved to the front of their sled. Shuri stood, as well, looking at Tony and Pepper.

"I will distract him for a while."

"Thanks."

They watched as the Wakandan princess followed Peter and then took his hand, idly, and pointed at various landmarks they were passing, but they couldn't hear what she was saying.

Tony brushed Pepper's bangs back from her face, making sure the floppy brimmed hat she was wearing was still protecting her from the sun.

"How does it feel?" he asked.

"It's fine. Just a twinge. You guys are making a fuss for nothing."

"Not for _nothing_," he corrected, brushing a kiss against her cheek. "Make sure you stay off it the rest of the day, okay? We'll keep it from getting worse – to keep Peter from worrying."

"_Peter_, huh?"

"Yeah. You know how he is."

Pepper just shook her head.

OOOOOOO

"Hand her down to me, dad."

"Don't _drop_ her," Tony warned, carefully easing Pepper over the side of the rail on the land sled and handing her down to Peter, who was waiting with his arms up. "You know she'll never let us hear the end of it."

Peter smiled, ignoring the amused looks of the guides. They had reached their camp and when the vehicles were stopped the burliest of the guides had offered to carry Pepper from the sled to a chair that was now waiting for her – complete with a large chunk of wood with a wool rug padding it for her foot to prop up on. Tony had picked her up, himself, and Peter head easily jumped over the rail and was now waiting to carry her.

The guides didn't know it, but Peter was stronger than all of them – _combined_ – and Tony trusted the boy's innate agility and coordination to keep him from tripping over something.

"I wouldn't drop her," Peter said, smiling as Tony handed her down to him.

Pepper went, willingly, but her arms went around the boy's neck as she felt his arms replace Tony's and she couldn't help the fact that her grip was almost chokingly tight.

"You got her?" Tony asked, jumping down from the land sled, too.

"Yup."

He carried her, easily, over to the chair, with Tony hovering near at hand and helping to settle her into place. When her foot was propped up and a new cold compress was put on it, Tony and Pepper both shooed him away, though.

"Go spend time with Shuri," Pepper told him. "Tony will keep me company and run for anything I need."

"You sure? I don't mind."

"I know. But _he_ needs to feel needed, too, you know?"

Tony rolled his eyes, silently amused. But then he nodded.

"She's right. It's a sickness and health thing. I said the vow; you didn't. Go see what kind of rocks you guys found and let us know if we can retire."

Peter went over to where Shuri was unloading their bag of rocks from the vehicle and they watched as he and the princess found a place to settle in a bare patch of ground, out of the way of the guides who were getting everything unpacked and then beginning to start preparing dinner. One of them peeled away from the others, though, and walked over to join them, sitting easily with them and sorting through their finds, obviously much more knowledgeable about the uncut or processed gems and able to tell them what they found.

"So we don't need to worry, yet, about the mafia thing?" Pepper asked, taking a drink from the canteen Tony offered her. The water was cold, thanks to cooling technology that wasn't found anywhere else. A heaven send in such a hot land. "Natasha's got it under control?"

"Yeah. She says the mafia guys are probably going to be going crazy over the ad in the paper – and it might be enough to make him drop it altogether. But she'll keep an eye on things, just in case it doesn't. Besides, Peter's as far from the Russian mafia as he can be, right now."

"True. I don't imagine T'Challa has a lot of tolerance for letting them set up shop in Wakanda."

"They'd definitely stick out around here," he agreed. "So don't worry about it, okay?"

"I won't." At least, not just then. Ask her again when they returned home. "And you won't worry about me, right?"

"Of course I will," he told her, seriously. "That's my _job_. But why don't we distract me by looking at our vibranium mine loot and seeing what else we found before you managed to trip over your own feet?"

She rolled her eyes, good-naturedly.

"Bring the bag."

OOOOOOO

By the time dinner was ready and the sun was going down, they had sorted through their own finds with the help of one of the guides, as well. Shuri had found a couple of diamonds that wouldn't be very large by the time they were cut and polished but were close to the same size. The guide had suggested they would make a nice pair of earrings when they were processed, and she had smiled when Peter told her they couldn't sparkle more than she did, already. She suggested he take them home and give them to Pepper or Natasha, but the teen had said she should keep them, instead.

He'd found a sapphire that would make a good pendant if he had it cut right, and another one that was a bit smaller. He didn't know what he'd do with them, but there was always someone to give a present to, back home. He'd figure it out. Maybe Ned's mom.

They were talking about their discoveries while they ate their dinner, and then Peter and Shuri separated once more because Peter wanted to call Ned and didn't want to bother the others while he did – and Shuri wanted to say hello. Not too surprisingly, it was a lengthy conversation, since Ned wanted to hear everything that they'd done in the mine, and had wanted details on everything that they found.

Tony and Pepper sat by the fire to keep the growing chill at bay, and spoke with the guides, or listened to them as they sang traditional songs and Tony continued working on his Ironman carving. Eventually, when it was now very dark and every star in the sky could be seen above them, Pepper mentioned that she was tired and ready to go to bed. She hugged Peter, reminding him that she loved him very much and allowed him to make a fuss over her, and then told the others good night and imperiously gestured to her husband, who rolled his eyes and scooped her up into his arms and carried her into her tent.

He helped her change into warm clothes to sleep in and bundled her into her sleeping bag and extra blankets.

"If you need up in the middle of the night, have Shuri come get me."

"I'm fine." She kissed him. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Mrs. Stark."

Pepper smiled.

"Good night, Mr. Potts."


	89. Chapter 89

"I _can_ walk."

"I _can_ carry you," Tony pointed out. "At least until we have a look at the ankle. _Then_ we'll decide just how much walking you should do."

She rolled her eyes, but put her arms around his neck and Tony picked her up, easily, carrying her out of the tent and to the chair by the fire pit. Peter was already there, bundled up against the cold. Shuri was, as well – she'd been the one to tell Tony Pepper was awake, after all, and both of the teens smiled when he brought her over and settled her into the chair.

"How do you feel?" Peter asked, his expressive eyes concerned.

"I'm fine, sweetheart. It barely hurts. All the icing and pampering must have done the trick."

The guide and Tony both converged on the ankle at the same time, and both looked satisfied by the lack of swelling.

"Get her shoes, Peter," Tony requested. "We'll see how it feels for her to walk on it."

The boy nodded and trotted over to the tent, returning a moment later and handing Pepper the sturdy hiking shoes that she'd been wearing. They all watched as she put them on – feeling a little self-conscious and then Tony and Peter were both right there to support her when she stood up. Just in case.

She smiled, taking a few careful steps, and feeling just a little tinge from the twisted ankle.

"See? Good as new."

"No pain?" Tony asked.

"A little. Not much, though." She walked back to the chair and sat down. "Not enough to keep me from enjoying our last day of safari."

The guides nodded.

"We are taking you to a _very_ special valley, today. There will be much to do and see – _and_ you will want to bring swimwear."

They had breakfast, first, and then got cleaned up and ready to go. Peter had to admit that he was having a good time, but really could use a shower. He was gritty and dirty, and he knew that Tony felt the same – and Pepper and Shuri probably did, as well. Of course, they both still looked beautiful, while he and Tony looked scruffy. It probably had something to do with being _female_, he decided.

He scratched his cheek, wishing – for the millionth time – that he could grow facial hair. He'd look so cool with scruff. Tony's normally perfectly trimmed cheeks and jaw were scruffy, but he looked tough, and manly. Peter looked exactly like he had three days ago. He grabbed a pair of shorts to swim in, but sat rubbing his cheek, thinking that he could grow his beard to look like Tony, or maybe Stephen – or maybe just make some kind of design of his own that would be uniquely him.

"Help me get momma into the sled," Tony said, breaking into Peter's daydreaming.

The boy nodded and got up, offering Pepper a shoulder, even though she reminded them both that she didn't need it. To keep them from giving her concerned looks, she just capitulated, and draped an arm over each of their shoulders, allowing them to get her up the step into the vehicle and situated toward the front, near the driver.

"Comfy?" Tony asked, smiling.

He was well aware that she didn't really want to be mollycoddled, but he loved doing it, and this gave him an excuse. Not that he wanted her to be in any pain, of course, but she was so loving and selfless with him, and so nurturing with Peter, Tony was glad the minor injury was forcing her to allow the two of them to step up and take care of her, for a change. Even better; _Peter_ got to do it, too. He was definitely happier being the one _doing_ the taking care of than being taken care of and it showed in the way that he fussed over Pepper, making sure she had a canteen close at hand, and that her hat was on, just right.

Tony rescued her after a short while, once they had started moving, looking for more amazing sights to show them. He sent Peter to the back of the vehicle with Shuri, who was lounging across a seat with her feet up, hat covering her face and relaxing. The boy went over and looked down at her, grinning.

"_Tired_?"

"Conserving my energy," she corrected him.

Since the guides were planning their luncheon in an area that was considered safe enough for them to do a little hiking, and _swimming_, Shuri and Peter were both excited. Pepper might not be willing to hike – or Tony might not _want_ her to – but Peter and Shuri were going to have a look around and see what they could find as far as wildlife on their last day of safari. They were told that the Wakandans had been preparing the place for days, as kind of a grand finale to the trip, so he was really looking forward to it.

_Peter_ didn't need to conserve his energy, though. He had plenty to spare. He left her to her lounging, and went back to the front of the sled, standing on the opposite side of Tony and Pepper, allowing them to have a little time to themselves, and striking up a conversation with the older guide, who was standing near the driver, trying to get an idea of what the place was like. He smiled, though, and simply shrugged; wanting it to be a surprise.

OOOOOOO

"Wow…"

It was a surprise, alright. The sleds stopped in a small, exceedingly green, valley that was obviously kept that way by the crystal water that fed into it from a mountain range off to the distance. There were actual trees, here, tall enough to provide shade, and the chosen location to stop was at the bottom of a steep cliff, where the water came rushing over in a roaring waterfall, feeding a small lake that was maybe the size of the entire compound back home. There was grass, and water and shade enough that it was almost cool under the foliage.

"This is beautiful," Pepper agreed, standing in the sled with her hand on Tony's shoulder.

Not for support, but just because.

"Yeah, it is," Peter said, hopping out, and extending a hand to her so they didn't risk her tweaking the already injured ankle.

"This is the safest water in Wakanda," one of the guides said, also getting out of the sled. "You can swim here without fear of crocodiles, or other predators, and there has been a force fence around it for a week, now, to keep the hippos and elephants away. Nothing will harm you if you choose to swim."

"Awesome."

Peter had his phone out, already, taking pictures to send to Ned and everyone else. Pepper was doing the same, as was Shuri. Tony didn't bother, knowing full well that Pepper was taking any that he'd want to have. Instead, he activated his Ironman suit, as a precaution, and had Friday do a quick scan of the water.

"Just checking," he told their guide, metallically.

It was the wilderness, after all, and the very last thing he wanted to do was risk that a crocodile had somehow slipped past whatever safety net they were using to keep them out, as well. Especially if his little family and Shuri were going to be in the water.

"Well?" Pepper asked, walking over with only the slightest of limps, putting her hand on Tony's metal covered arm.

He deactivated the suit after a full minute, and smiled, cocking his head, pleased.

"It's safe. Nothing bigger than little fishes, and nothing Friday classified as dangerous."

"Can we go look around while they make lunch?" Peter asked Tony and Pepper, his hand in Shuri's.

"Yeah. Stay close."

"We will."

They walked away, heading for the trees, and Tony reactivated the suit, this time running a scan on the landed area nearby. Pepper smiled, knowing exactly what he was doing, even as he did it, and waited for him to dismiss the suit once more.

"Well?"

"There are some gazelles and zebras a little way off, and a couple of cats – but even further away. Should be fine."

"Good." She smiled, hooking her arm through his and making sure the guides were occupied and far enough away not to hear her. "Too bad we have company. This place would be perfect for skinny dipping."

Stark couldn't agree more. He wondered what kind of story he could tell all the guides, Peter and Shuri, to get them to abandon the valley for an hour or two, but he couldn't think of anything. Instead, he hugged her close.

"I'll try to find us a place like this when we get home," he promised.


	90. Chapter 90

_A/N: 90 chapters! Told you it might be long. But a fun ride, I hope._

OOOOOOO

Lunch was almost ready when Peter and Shuri returned from their short hike.

"Good timing," Tony said, smiling at them from where he was sprawled in the grass at the edge of the water, clearly enjoying just how green everything was. He had taken off his shoes and socks and had his feet in the water, with Pepper beside him, doing the same. "I was just getting ready to call you back. Lunch is almost ready."

Peter grinned.

"We didn't go too far."

"Find anything interesting?"

"There's a trail up that way," Peter told him. "I think it goes to the top of the waterfall."

The guides had been listening as they finished setting up their lunch. One nodded.

"You are correct. It is a path to the _ruka_," he said. "The _jump_."

"Yeah?" Tony asked. "I'm almost afraid to ask why they call it that."

"Because it is a test of manhood," the oldest of the guides replied, smiling. "Many of the tribes will bring their young men here and they will jump from the top of the waterfall, to prove they are worthy to receive their tattoos."

Shuri looked surprised.

"They do that _here_?"

"Yes."

"I have heard of it, but I have never seen it done." She looked at Peter. "Many of the boys do not even know how to swim. They jump and survive, but then almost drown because they can not get out of the deep water."

"Only the bravest make the jump."

Peter frowned, looking up at the cliff.

"It's not _that_ high."

Pepper looked over her shoulder at him, and she frowned.

"No. Don't even _think_ about it."

"I wasn't."

"It is much higher than it looks," the guide told him, shaking his head. "Not everyone survives."

"How deep is the water?" Peter asked.

"Deep enough. But it is a leap of faith. If he does not commit to the jump, the boy will not make the deepest part of the pool, which is obviously the safest place to land."

"Some are _crippled_," added another.

Shuri nodded, but it was clear that she was impressed with the place even more, now, than she had been.

"That would be something to see."

"Yeah," Peter agreed. He looked over at Tony, who was watching him look up at the waterfall, and saw an undertone of concern in his expression. It reminded Peter of the promise that he'd made to Stephen to avoid doing anything that might remind his father of him diving out the window when he'd been in the throes of the intoxicating tea that Azoru had slipped him. If anything qualified as a reminder of that, diving off a cliff almost _certainly_ would. That somewhat worried look was all it took to squash any desire that Peter had to give the cliff a try. The boy gave a disinterested shrug, and smiled at Tony. "Those guys have something to prove. _I_ don't."

The worry faded, replaced by relief, and Peter walked over to the edge of the water, looking down in it to see if there were any tiny fish at the water's edge, with Shuri beside him.

"We _did_ see some zebra," the girl told them. "They were somewhat off in the distance, though."

"I got some pictures," Peter assured Pepper, who was pretty much the keeper of all things photographic for their little family. "I'll send them to you, tonight – unless you get better ones."

"Good."

"How does your ankle feel?" Shuri asked, looking at the foot that was in the clear water. "Well enough to swim after lunch?"

"Definitely."

Peter frowned.

"Is the water cold?"

"It's _Africa_, Peter," Tony pointed out. "How cold can it be?"

He shrugged.

"I shiver every morning when I get out of bed," the boy reminded him. "It gets _cold_."

"You big baby."

Pepper smiled, but the guide cooking their lunch called them to eat before Peter could think of a good comeback.

OOOOOOO

"It _is_ cold…"

Shuri rolled her eyes and ran by Peter and into the water, not at all concerned by the temperature.

"It feels refreshing," she told him, splashing happily.

He scowled, looking over at Tony and Pepper, who were standing beside him. They were dressed for swimming; Tony and Peter in shorts and Pepper in a brilliant green suit, but none of them were wet, yet.

"It _feels_ like glacier water."

"Don't be such a weenie," Tony told him, heartlessly. He waded out, up to his waist in only a step or two, turning back to look at the two still standing on the edge. "It's not _that_ bad."

Especially after the heat of the last few days.

They watched him dive forward, neatly slicing into the water and it was easy to track his progress as he swam under the crystal clear water for several yards before coming up for air near where Shuri was treading water, watching them. Three of the four guides also ran by them, dressed for swimming and taking advantage of the cool water. Soon there was a lot of splashing and laughter, and Peter sighed, dipping his foot into the water once more.

"It only hurts for a _minute_," Pepper reminded him, making him smile.

"I know. At least I can _swim_, now, and won't look too idiotic."

"You owe Clint one of your wooden carvings, huh?"

"Yeah, I figured I'd give them a choice of one for their house – if they want."

"Which they _will_."

He smiled.

"You guys get whatever _you_ want, too, you know?"

"We're _counting_ on it," she assured him, hugging him, spontaneously.

Peter smiled and felt her grip tighten and had just a moment's warning before he suddenly realized that she was lifting him off his feet and had turned, tossing him into the water before he could react. He went under, gasping at the shock of the water and came up spluttering, arms wrapped around his torso, shivering.

"Oh, it's _on_," he told her, heading back to the shore.

Pepper squealed, girlishly, and tried to escape, but once Peter was out of the water, he caught her, easily, and scooped her up over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"Tony! _Help_! Your son's being a tyrant!"

Stark watched from where he was treading water.

"I'm way out _here_, dear," he called. "If he brings you closer, I'll be _happy_ to help."

"See? He'll help you," Peter told her, walking into the water with his struggling burden.

"Don't you dare drop me, young man," Pepper told him, clinging to him as well as she could since she was upside down. "I'll _ground_ you."

"You mean to my room that is filled with all my cool stuff?"

"To the _gym_. Where you'll be forced to play sports until your hair-"

He cut off the tirade by simply stepping off the drop off, with her still slung over his shoulder, dunking both of them into the cool water. As he did, he let her go so she could resurface, and she did, spluttering just like he had when she'd thrown him into the water. Peter smiled over at her, his eyes twinkling with happiness.

"Oops."

"You are sooooo grounded."

He shrugged.

"I can live with that."


	91. Chapter 91

The attack was sudden, and it came from below.

Peter was floating on the water – a skill that he wasn't all that great at, but was trying to perfect – and was looking up at the waterfall that loomed above them. The sun was still fairly high in the sky, giving them plenty of day left to play in the water and in the valley before it was time to pack up their things and head to the villa where the guides would drop him, Pepper and Tony so they could start the last part of their holiday.

Alone time for the little family. Something that he was looking forward to.

Suddenly he felt the water under him shift, just a little, but to his ultra sensitive body it was like an earthquake in the water. Hands wrapped around his stomach, dragging him under water, and then he felt himself manhandled, turned in the water and then thrown out, tossed to the side a good twenty feet to land with a splash and a water-muffled curse of surprise.

Just as well, since Pepper had been floating only a few feet away from him when he'd found himself so churlishly tossed aside.

The Ironman suit retracted, leaving Tony, alone, treading water where Peter once had been, grinning at having tossed the light boy so easily and having surprised him with the sudden attack.

"You _know_ I'm going to have to get even with you, right?" Peter told him, also smiling; pleased at just how relaxed Tony was.

"You and what _army_?"

The boy looked at Pepper, who shrugged and held up her left hand, the diamond wedding ring sparkling in the sun.

"Sorry, sweetheart… _for better and worse_, right?"

"I will help you preserve your honor, Peter," Shuri assured him, smiling as she waded over to him.

"It's _on_," Stark said, turning to Pepper and presenting himself to her. "Get up, Pep."

"Camel fight," Peter said, cheerfully, moving back to the shallower water and presenting himself to Shuri, who climbed easily onto his bony shoulders, knowing now that he would be able to handle her negligible weight, easily. The two teens looked at Tony and Pepper. "Mount up, momma. You guys are going down."

The guides chuckled and joined in, as Pepper got herself onto Tony's shoulders. He wasn't as strong as Peter, of course, but he had perfect control of the Ironman suit and wasn't afraid to activate a portion here or there as the need presented itself to give him and Pepper an edge. Age and treachery would always be a match for youth and enthusiasm, after all.

Soon the little valley rang with the sound of laughter, water splashing and the occasional high-pitched squeal as one of the females ended up in the water.

All in all, a very good way to end a safari.

OOOOOOO

"Did you have a good time?"

Peter smiled, looking at the villa where he and his folks would be staying the next three days. It was a beautiful place, with greenery all around it, and all the comforts one could ask for. While they had been on their safari, the Wakandans had stocked the house with foodstuffs and anything else they would need for three days alone, including all of their baggage from the suite in the palace. Then he turned back to Shuri, who was watching him with a smile on her lovely face.

"I had a _great_ time. You? Was it worth leaving your lab to spend time getting dirty with the commoners?"

"You and your family are as far from common as anyone I _know_, Peter," she assured him. "I had a very good time."

She hugged him, then, and he wrapped his arms around her, feeling just a little gooey inside, and happy.

"You're going to take care of Ironpig, right?" he asked as they separated.

"If I can pry him from my _mother_, yes."

She hesitated, and then kissed him, quickly, and went to the sled that would be taking her to meet the jet that she would return to the capitol in. Peter stared, watching as it drove off, the guides all waving goodbye to them, and he jumped, startled, when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Did I just see a lip-lock?" Tony asked, his voice a mixture of amused and uncertain.

Peter blushed.

"It wasn't a _lip-lock_," he said, quickly. "Just a goodbye kiss. She said she had a good time."

"Yeah. She told _me_ that, too. I didn't get a kiss like that."

Pepper smiled, watching the sled move off as well, and pleased that she was now officially going to have some time with just her guys. It felt like forever since the morning that they'd spent sorting wedding presents, and she was ready to relax with them for a while. Sitting in their suite after the retribution thing didn't count; that had been forced togetherness, which wasn't the same.

"Let's get unpacked and see what they left us for food," she suggested.

"I hope there's hamburger," Peter said, as they all turned toward the villa. "I want a burger and fries."

"Probably not going to happen without a call to Stephen," Tony pointed out.

Pepper shrugged.

"Let's take a look."

The villa was a lot larger inside than it really looked from the outside. Part of that was because it was built back into a small hill and gave extra room, and the other part was that it simply looked bigger because it had a wide-open floor plan and minimal furniture – designed to keep the heat of the African day under control. There was a living room, a kitchen and three bedrooms; the master bedroom where Pepper and Tony had their things stowed and an only slightly smaller room on the other side of the building where Peter had put his.

A couple of very modern bathrooms ensured everyone would have a chance to shower that evening if they wanted – which they all _did_ – and the lack of other people ensured _Peter_ didn't have to wait in line for his like Tony would, if Pepper claimed the shower, first.

Pepper led the way into the kitchen, which was also modern. The place was powered – it was solar power, which made a lot of sense considering its location – and there was a fridge, stove, and all the appliances that they would need – including a coffee pot that had been thoughtfully prepared with a large supply of coffee. Not a common Wakandan drink.

"Looks like we have everything we need to make a close proximity to hamburgers and fries," she announced, looking through the fridge and the pantry, while Peter and Tony settled at the kitchen island and started thumb-wrestling. "Probably water buffalo instead of actual _cow_, but they taste the same, pretty much. Are you two hungry, now? Or do we wait?"

"We can _help_," Tony offered, still trying to pin Peter's thumb, but turning some of his attention to her.

"No. You two burned down a _cooking school_. I don't want to sleep in a tent the next two days, so I will do the cooking. You can do the dishes."

Tony rolled his eyes, looking at Peter.

"You burn down _one_ little kitchen and you never hear the end of it…"

"Technically, we ruined a few pots and pans at the sanctum, too," he reminded him. "Well, _you_ did. I wasn't allowed to help."

"That's a story better forgotten," Stark told him with a mock scowl. He looked at Pepper, who clearly hadn't heard about it. "We didn't burn it _down_, though, honey. Just… smoked it out a bit."

"Go find something to do, both of you. I'll call when dinner's ready."

"Come on, son," Tony said, letting Peter's hand loose. "Momma's got that look in her eyes that says don't argue with me. Let's see if there's a chess board somewhere."


	92. Chapter 92

There was plenty to do in the villa, Tony and Peter found when they went looking while Pepper made dinner. There wasn't a TV, but they didn't _need_ that. If they wanted to watch a movie or a program, they all had tablets and it would be a simple matter for Tony to rig one of them up to play against the one wall of the living room that didn't have anything hanging on it. Like a projector, only better. There were games, including chess, and puzzles of all sorts.

They wouldn't get bored.

Tony and Peter, of course, gravitated to the chess board. They out it on the coffee table and Tony sat on the sofa while Peter easily folded himself into a comfortable position on the floor across from it. That would save the sofa for Pepper if she came out to watch while dinner was cooking.

"You had a good time?" Tony asked as he moved a pawn to start the game. "Glad you came?"

Peter smiled.

"Of course. You? Would you have preferred Hawaii or something?"

"No. This place is nice. More exotic than Hawaii, right?"

"Yes. Hotter, though."

"It's a dry heat."

The boy grinned, because he always heard that, but really didn't know what it meant. Heat was heat, right?

"Okay."

"What do you have in mind for Azoru when we get home?" Tony asked. "We need to decide it, so we can get some security started."

"_I_ have to decide?"

"He's _your_ retribution. Your _responsibility_."

Peter scowled.

"We've gotta get you out of here, dad. This whole honor thing is going to your head."

Stark chuckled, secretly loving the whole _dad _thing .

"Fine. Do you have anything in _mind_, though?"

"Putt-putt? Bowling? He could come with us to take Ironpig to Jack's. Do you think he'd like the puppy place?"

"Doubtful. He doesn't strike me as a warm and fuzzy puppy lover."

"Neither does _Stephen_," Peter pointed out.

"True." He focused on the game for a moment, to save himself from losing his queen to a fairly blatant trap Peter had set him. Then returned to the topic. "We'll talk to T'Challa and Azoru's folks about security before we go home. Make sure there aren't any security concerns."

"T'Challa mentioned that Azoru is a pretty good fighter – all the Jabari are started pretty young. I thought I'd see if he'd like to go a round or two with Steve or Natasha. If they're willing."

"That's not a bad idea. But he doesn't spar with _you_."

"Why?"

"Because he's a young hot-head and I don't want things to get out of hand. With you, he almost certainly will feel that he has something to prove, and will try to prove it, no matter how many times you throw him down. Steve is a lot older, and Natasha's a woman. He won't have that issue with either of them."

The boy smiled, realizing that he was probably right, and thinking it was pretty smart of him to think about that. Peter hadn't.

"I'll stay in the background."

"Spar with them, too, so he can see what you're capable of," Tony suggested. "Just not _him_. Okay? Especially if _Shuri_ is watching."

"Yeah. I will."

"We'll have a barbeque, too. That'll be fun. He can play football or volleyball – it'll keep him out of trouble and give him some exercise."

"Good idea."

"See if Ned wants to come for the entire time he and Shuri are there," Pepper added, walking up. She'd been listening from the kitchen, where the smell of something meaty was starting to dominate. "That way we don't have you and him constantly contending for Shuri's attention, alone. Everything would be more of a group dynamic. I'll call his mother and ask."

"He doesn't spar with Ned, though, either."

"Yeah. No. Ned's not good enough, yet, and I don't think that he'd try to hurt him, but I don't know that for certain."

"Right."

Tony looked at Pepper.

"Any concerns, momma?"

She smiled and shook her head.

"I think it'll be fun to have a house full of teenagers. Even if it's just for three days."

"If the Avengers can _survive_ it," Tony added.

Pepper snorted.

"Finish your game. Dinner's almost done."

OOOOOOOO

"So then, in the middle of the night, the cloak comes rushing into my bedroom, slapping me, repeatedly, waking me up. Of course, I'm thinking something awful is happening – an attack on the sanctum, or something equally terrible. I hear the loudest, echoing screeches, and come running down the stairs expecting to have to repel boarders…"

"What was it?" Natasha asked, curiously.

"Nutmeg had somehow managed to get himself stuck in the Cauldron of the Cosmos."

"That's the big pot on a pedestal at the bottom of the staircase?"

He rolled his eyes, and nodded, amused. At least she was interested enough to make the effort to learn what the relics were.

"Yes. I'm not completely sure how he managed to get into it in the first place, but he's a cat, so…"

She laughed.

"I'll warn Peter."

They were walking in the park. It was something that they both enjoyed – Natasha more than Stephen, but he enjoyed spending time with her, and if that was what she wanted to do, then so be it. Normally, Romanoff would be concerned about being seen with someone out in public that she was obviously an item with, just because it placed a giant target on that person's back, but with Stephen she didn't need to worry about that – and she didn't.

He could take care of himself. Especially with her to back him up.

"They'll be back soon?"

"We go get them tomorrow night. We'll be back Friday."

"I'll be glad to have them home."

"You mean, to get Nutmeg out of the _sanctum_?"

He smiled.

"That…"

Strange allowed the sentence to trail off when he realized that he and Natasha weren't alone, any longer. Another man had joined them on the path they were walking on, purposely matching pace with Romanoff, and walking next to her, but carefully – at least that was the impression that the sorcerer got, he was being _very careful_ – not to touch her, or to act threatening.

A lean man, wearing a suit that was the equal of any that Strange, himself, might pull from his own wardrobe. He was blonde, with short hair and a scar that ran down the side of his jaw. Natasha didn't even falter her steps, and her hand in his just tightened, almost imperceptibly, before she released it.

"Alex…"

Her voice was just as casual as if the newcomer was also discussing the kitten that was running amok in the sanctum.

"Natasha. Lovely day for a walk, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It _was_."

"Got a minute?"

"Depends. I'm pretty busy, right now."

The newcomer glanced over at Strange, and the magician could see that he was checking him out, deciding where he would be as far as threat level. Stephen was well aware that he wasn't an imposing man, but there must have been something the other saw, because he turned away.

"How about the boyfriend takes a walk by himself for a minute so we can talk? He'll be fine, I promise."

"He'll be fine, because it would be very bad if he _wasn't_…" she replied, stopping in mid-step. "He's good, where he is. We probably won't be talking too long. Right?"

Alex shrugged his acceptance.

"I'm looking for someone."

"Yeah? Try Tinder. There are supposed to be some very pretty women there."

"I'm looking for a _guy_."

"It's a whole new world, Alex," Romanoff said, smoothly. "They have _men_ on there, too."

He scowled, obviously realizing what she meant. The scowl probably would have intimidated many of the people around him, Strange noticed, but Natasha only smiled.

"Cute."

"_Sometimes_. Who are you looking for? And why ask _me_?"

"The boss is trying to find this Spiderman guy. _You_ work with superheroes. You know him?"

"I don't work with amateurs. _My_ superhero buddies tend to have god-complexes."

"Yeah. And with good reason."

"_You_ put that ad in the paper?" she asked, affecting disbelief that anyone would be so stupid.

He snorted.

"No. Of course not. This guy's a kid. He saved the boss and his wife, and the boss wants to talk to him – to _reward_ him – but I can't find him. Now this newspaper thing happened and my people are being swamped, keeping me from doing my job."

"I bet."

"Just ask some of your people if they have any idea who he is, will you? I'll personally guarantee his safety. Joel just wants to talk to him."

"No promises."

"Yeah." He looked over at Strange, again, and then nodded to them both. "Enjoy your walk."

Without a word, he walked off, and Natasha reclaimed Stephen's hand.

"So, how did you get him out of the pot?" she asked. "Did you tip it over?"

Strange smiled, shaking his head as they started walking, again, as if nothing had happened.

"You don't just tip over the _Cauldron of the Cosmos_, Natasha. The universe wouldn't allow it. The cloak and I scooped him out."

"The universe allowed him in there, in the first place?"

"Well, the universe doesn't have a lot of control over _cats_ – everyone knows that."


	93. Chapter 93

"_What are you up to?"_

"Nothing. I'm literally sitting in a chair near the water watching a zebra herd – and hoping there are no crocodiles waiting to eat one."

"_I hope there aren't any waiting to eat _you_, baby."_

Peter smiled, and shook his head.

"They have this force field thing set up around the villa. It keeps the wild animals out so I'm safe. Kind of like a reverse zoo. How are you? Miss me?"

Romanoff smiled, and gave him that look.

"_What do you think?"_

"I think I can't wait to see you."

"_I _do _miss you. We _all _do. It's way too quiet around here, without you."_

"A lot _calmer_, though, I bet."

"_Here, maybe. The sanctum is being terrorized by your kitten, though."_

"Oh no. What's he doing?"

"_He's being bad. Very bad. Fury thinks that we should let him stay there, and give the mice the run of the compound and leave Wong and Stephen to deal with Nutmeg until he's grown out of his destructive stage."_

The boy grinned.

"What did Stephen say to that?"

"_Are you _kidding_? I didn't tell him. I happen to know he's marking the days on his calendar until you come back."_

"Are you talking to Romanoff?"

Peter looked over his shoulder and saw Tony walking over to him, wearing loose-fitting khaki slacks and a light long-sleeved t-shirt with a floppy brimmed hat similar to the one Peter, himself, was wearing.

"Yeah."

"_Is that Tony?"_

"Yeah. Want to talk to him?"

"_Not right now. Tell him to call me later, though. I'm going to get going. I just wanted to check on you and make sure nothing has eaten you, yet."_

"Tell your boyfriend that not _everything_ is out to eat us," Stark told her, settling into the chair beside Peter's. He couldn't quite see the display Peter was looking at, but he'd heard Natasha. "Although we'd probably be pretty tasty."

"_Don't _say_ that, Tony. You're just tempting fate. Call me later, alright? I need to go over some logistics with you."_

"Will do. See you in two days?"

"_Yeah. It'll be me and Clint. Steve was going to come, but he's running some SHIELD training and filming another one of those boring public service announcements that they love having him do."_

"What's it about _this_ time?" Peter asked, curiously.

She smirked.

"_Taking good care of your body. I can't wait for him to be asked to do the sex education ones, next."_

Peter snorted, and Tony laughed, outright.

"That'd be fun."

Natasha was still smiling when she told them both to have fun and ended the call, and Peter put his phone away and settled back into his chair with a sigh.

"Homesick?" Tony asked.

"A little."

"Understandable. _We're_ pretty close to ready to get back, too. I know Pepper's chomping at the bit to start working on some projects that are waiting for her."

"She's not going to go crazy and start working around the clock, though, right?"

"Nah. Our job will be to make sure of that. Got it?"

"Yes."

They fell silent, watching as the small herd of zebras that Peter had mentioned to Natasha had their drink and wandered away from the water to settle in to graze only to be replaced by a couple of rhinos who were far less timid when it came to going to the edge of the water to get a drink. Tony made an exaggerated show of reaching out and grabbing Peter's arm, presumably to keep him from chasing them, and the boy grinned.

"T'Challa called to check in with us," Stark told his son "The Jabari wood carvings and wool rugs are at the palace. He's impressed with the pieces that he's looked at – although he says the carvings are being wrapped to keep them intact during transport, so we won't be able to look them over until we get home."

"That okay. I figured M'Baku would make sure they send the best. Even if I wouldn't recognize the best from the worst. The ones I saw were all great."

"Yeah."

"Better than your little Ironman wood carving."

Tony smiled.

"It didn't turn out that bad. Shuri said it was a remarkable resemblance."

"She knows how to be a good _host_, though," Peter reminded him, earning him a chuckle from the billionaire.

"Smart ass. Just for that, I'm going to let _her_ have it, instead of giving it to you."

"I'll live." Besides, Peter already _had_ an Ironman doll. Unless Nutmeg had somehow managed to sneak into his rooms at the compound to steal it from its prized location on the shelf in his bedroom. The thought of it made something inside him lurch and he knew it was the toddler, who loved the thing even more than Peter did. He smiled. "I had a good time, dad," he added, seriously. "This was a good idea."

A hand settled on his shoulder.

"Yeah. It was."

OOOOOOO

It was much later in the day – Wakandan day, that was – when Tony called Natasha to talk to her. Initially because he'd been busy spending time with his wife and son and hadn't really had a chance, not because he didn't want Peter to hear the conversation, but when the topic of the mafia came up, he was glad Peter was in bed and asleep last time he'd checked on him.

"So what do you want to do?" he asked, once she'd told him and Pepper about the visit with the man in the park.

"_I'm almost tempted to let Peter talk to King," she_ admitted. _"Completely one on one – just the two of them. Someplace secured, and without actually introducing them by name so he doesn't learn who Peter is."_

"Really?"

"_It's an honor thing with Joel, Tony,"_ she said, her expression serious. _"Peter saved him – and his wife. He has to do something about that. Until he does, he won't let it drop, and it could get dangerous for Peter if he's out doing his thing and people are still trying to catch him to bring him in for what they think is a bounty."_

"What the hell is it with _honor_?" Stark scowled, feeling Pepper tighten her grip on him. "I'm beginning to _hate_ that word."

Romanoff nodded her understanding.

"_I know. Let me think it through a little more, alright? We don't have to decide anything right now – and really, the longer we wait the better, as long as Peter's occupied and doesn't go out."_

"We'll have Wakandan nobility at the compound, so if anything is going to distract him, that's going to do it."

"_Right."_ She smiled. _"What are the plans for them?"_

"Peter's going to force the kid to have fun with him. So _that'll_ probably drive him crazy. Ned's coming, too – Pepper spoke with his mother and he'll be out the day after we get home."

"_That'll be interesting."_

Tony grinned.

"Definitely. We'll barbeque, so let _Doctor I hate eating outside because I'm irrational_ know, so he and Wong can come meet him and pick his brains about his country and his people."

Natasha smirked.

"_I'll do that. Anything you need me to bring with us when we come get you?"_

"Did Peter tell you about Ironpig?"

"_Who?"_

Pepper smiled.

"You'll want to bring a pet carrier."


	94. Chapter 94

A gentle hand was touching his cheek. Not forcefully, just enough to keep him from going back to sleep now that he was awake.

"Hey… wake up."

Tony mumbled something and debated rolling over and tucking himself against Pepper and ignoring that voice. No matter how much he loved it. When he rolled, though, he found that something – or _someone_ – was between him and his wife, keeping him from doing that. He opened his eyes, confused, and found Peter kneeling on their bed, between them, looking down at them.

A quick glance over at Pepper showed him that she was just waking up, as well – while Peter looked as if he'd been up for hours.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The boy smiled. "I made breakfast."

Pepper rubbed her face, looking concerned.

"What?"

"_Breakfast_," Peter repeated, slowly, getting off the bed, now that he had them awake. "To celebrate our last day here. I thought you'd like the break."

They both sat up just as he settled a tray across her lap, and then across Tony's.

"You made breakfast?" Pepper repeated, looking down at the tray on her lap.

"Yeah." He grinned, obviously pleased with himself. "Eggs, ham and hash browns. Go ahead and get started on that, and I'll bring you guys some coffee."

He left their bedroom and Pepper looked over at the tray on Tony's lap. And then at him. He looked a little confused as he considered his plate.

"Which is the ham, do you think?"

Pepper smiled.

"I was wondering what the hash browns are made of since I know we don't have any _potatoes_. I used the last of them last night."

They looked at each other and snickered, and then picked up their forks and clanged them together in a toast.

"Whatever happens, at least we're _together_," he murmured as he took a bite of the gooey mess. "Ah. Found the _eggs_."

OOOOOOO

He was cleaning up the kitchen when they came out of the bedroom forty minutes later. Both had just thrown on robes over their pajamas, and Tony was carrying their trays, with the dishes carefully prepared so that there was no sign that any food on the plates had been slid off into any garbage cans or toilet bowls. He'd _tried_, after all, and that meant everything.

Not enough to actually risk _food poisoning_ right before their trip ended, though. But everything else.

"How was it?" Peter asked, taking the coffee mugs from Pepper, who was looking at the mess in the kitchen and wondering how either of them had slept through their breakfast preparations.

"It was something else," Tony replied, honestly, taking the trays to the counter by the sink. "Thanks for thinking of us."

He beamed, clearly pleased with himself.

"You liked it?"

"What did you make the hash browns with?" Pepper asked, evasively. "I didn't know we still had potatoes."

"Squash. They looked the same as a potato once I had it peeled and grated."

Tony had to turn his head, leaving Pepper to keep her expression blank since the boy was watching her.

"That's… way to improvise. What did I taste with the eggs?"

"Mayo."

Tony coughed, and it sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.

"Why don't you let us clean up, son?" he offered. "Since you cooked. Then we can go for a hike. If you're interested?"

"I don't mind."

"Neither do we," Pepper assured him. "Go on. Get changed."

"Okay."

"What did you have for breakfast?" Tony asked, not seeing a third plate, anywhere.

"Poptarts."

He left the kitchen and the billionaire shook his head turning toward the sink and the scorched pan that Peter had been scrubbing.

"_He_ had Poptarts…"

"You realize we didn't have any ham, right?" Pepper asked, softly, as she reached for the coffee pot. "I was afraid to ask what he substituted for it…"

"Ironpig better still be at the palace when we get there…."

OOOOOO

The forcefield that protected the villa from the wildlife around it wasn't designed to keep them from going on hikes. Well aware of Tony's capabilities, the Wakandans weren't going to keep their guests a prisoner behind walls – no matter how see-through they were. If they wanted to go for a walk, then they could.

As long as they were home before it became too dark to see all the nocturnal creatures that were more than capable of making a meal of someone who couldn't see them, first.

"Which way?" Peter asked, leading them out of the villa and toward the water, by default.

They were all dressed in loose-fitting long-sleeved shirts. Tony and Pepper were both in slacks and Peter was wearing jeans. Everyone had hiking shoes on and hats to keep the sun from their faces.

"Lead the way," Tony told him, making a gesture that said he plainly didn't care one way or the other.

Pepper nodded her agreement.

They'd wandered the close area, already, and knew that if they wanted to go any distance at all they couldn't actually go toward the water, because there was no way they were going to swim in that to cross the river. Not only had they all seen crocodiles in the water at one point or the other, but there were also hippos, and Peter had told them that hippos were much more deadly than any other animal out there – including the crocs.

He nodded and headed for the hill behind the villa, and they followed, holding hands and not in too much of a hurry. The area had tall grass and some large rocks, and a few clearings made by elephant herds using it for dust baths. There were lions in the area, but like they'd been told, the big cats were basically shy and didn't pose any danger – as long as they didn't get too close to where they were usually lounging in the shade to avoid the sun.

Peter guided them through the grass, trusting that his spider senses would tell him if they were getting close to anything that posed a threat. They heard some low-pitched rumbling ahead, and they stopped, even though they couldn't see much in the long grass. He hopped up onto a large rock, taking advantage of the fact that whatever it was that let him cling to walls had no problem allowing him to cling to rock, as well, and he grinned, excitedly and gestured for them to join him.

Pepper raised her hand and Peter shot a string of webbing that hit her wrist, then he simply braced himself while she used that to climb the side of the large rock; no more than twenty feet, or so, but much higher than she could have jumped. Tony's method was even easier; he activated his suit and flew up as soon as Pepper had joined Peter.

They both looked the direction he was pointing, and saw a cheetah lounging near a scrub tree. Which wasn't what had excited Peter, Pepper saw as she used a knife to cut the webbing from her wrist. The cheetah wasn't alone. There were two kittens with her, both fuzzy and spotted, and unlike her, they were actively playing with each other.

"Oh, they are adorable!" Pepper said, softly, pulling out her camera, while Peter used his cell to take a couple of pictures, also.

They hadn't seen a lot of young predators. Lion cubs, once, but that was about it. This was a real treat to them.

"I wonder how close I could get before she realized I was even there…" the boy mused, looking at the terrain between the rock and the trees.

"I don't know," Tony replied, reaching over and taking hold of the belt loops on the back of Peter's jeans. "But I know you can't run as fast as she can, so let's not find out. Okay?"

He grinned, wondering what Tony would do without that far too convenient handhold.

"It was just a thought."

"A _bad_ one," Pepper said. "Look, but don't touch."

"And don't get _eaten_," Tony added. "That's my new motto."


	95. Chapter 95

_"Cinderella, your coach is here…"_

Peter and Pepper both heard the announcement, even though it came over Tony's watch, and the boy whooped and jumped to his feet, spilling the Scrabble tiles in his haste and running for the door.

Tony smiled.

"Saved by the bell."

Pepper rolled her eyes, and helped him gather the pieces.

"You're just saying that because I was _winning_."

Despite picking up the game, they still walked out the door of the villa and had moved to flank Peter – one to each side as was their custom, really – and were watching as the Quinjet came in to hover in the space between the river and the building.

"They must have gotten the code to the forcefield from the Wakandans," Peter said, watching as the jet turned so the rear of the plane was toward the villa.

"Makes sense."

"So, technically, a herd of crazed out elephants could attack us right now…" the boy pointed out, still watching the jet, now settling on its landing wheels.

Pepper looked over Peter's head at Tony, who rolled his eyes, bemused. Peter didn't notice; the ramp was coming down, now, and he ran to the plane, leaping up onto the still moving machinery and catching Natasha in an enthusiastic hug. She held him, tightly, laughing at just how happy the greeting was, and feeling just the slightest sting of tears.

"Hey, baby…" she murmured in his ear – words for him alone. "Don't ever leave me for so long, again. I _missed_ you."

"I missed you, too," he assured her, holding her close for another long moment before letting her go so she could greet Pepper and Tony, as well.

"You look great," she told him. "Even a little _tanned_, huh?"

"Yeah."

Not much; he was far too fair to be bronzed by the African sun, but when the inevitable sunburn had faded, it left a little color.

"Agent Romanoff," Tony said, smiling, as he and Pepper walked up the ramp, as well, rather than wait for her and Clint to disembark. "How was the flight?"

She hugged him with a smile as Clint came out of the cockpit to join them, and Peter greeted the archer with a hug and a smile.

"Hey, Peter Pony," Clint said, cheerfully. "How was Wakanda?"

"Great."

"Flight was long and boring," Natasha said as her co-pilot used his grip on Peter to wrestle the boy out of the jet and down onto the somewhat dried out grass at the bottom of the ramp. "I'm sure the return flight will be a lot more interesting."

She hugged Pepper, too.

"Did you see the payload we're bringing back?" Tony asked.

"We haven't stopped in the capitol, yet; they sent us here, to get you guys, first." She smiled, turning to leave the jet. "Which is fine. I wanted a chance to check out this place, first."

"Me, too," Clint told them, looking up with Peter's chest under his knee, picking handfuls of grass and dropping them into the boy's face. "We saw a lot of zebra flying over – bet one was _your_ little guy, huh?"

Peter sputtered under the assault.

"Probably. But he was probably scared away when he saw _you_ in the window."

"Oh, it's _on_ Peter Pony."

"Bring it, Arrow Guy."

The scuffling truly began, then, as Peter tried to get himself free, and Clint found himself holding a wriggling teen who was definitely getting better at wrestling than he'd been when they'd first met. Natasha looked at Pepper and Tony.

"Show me around?"

"Definitely," Pepper agreed. They walked by the two combatants, ignoring the very lame trash-talk the two were throwing at each other as they tried to gain the upper hand. "Come around back when you're finished, Peter," she said.

"Okay."

OOOOOOO

"Pretty nice place," Clint said, looking around, still brushing grass and dirt out of his short hair.

"Yeah," Peter agreed. "The water draws all the animals in the area, but the forcefield keeps them from eating us – and you can't see it in the pictures. Pepper had a hippo try to get at her three times before it finally gave up. She got some great pictures of it."

"Because it was trying to _eat_ her," Tony said. "A good reminder that hippos are not human friendly."

They looked around for a little while, not really on a set schedule since they weren't leaving until the next morning. No one would dream of allowing the two pilots to try a return flight without a break in between, and that was fine with everyone involved. It would give everyone time to get their payload secured and make sure their passengers had everything that they needed – especially the two who were coming back with them for a short visit.

"It was still pretty cool," the boy assured them. "It didn't eat her."

Obviously.

The jet's arrival had frightened most of the animals in the area, so they were just getting their personal luggage loaded when some wildlife began making its way back, drawn by the need to drink, and the fact that the jet hadn't tried to eat any of them.

"I don't see a baby zebra anywhere…" Natasha murmured in Peter's ear as he brought her Pepper's bag to stow.

The boy smiled.

"You won't, probably. They only come every couple of days. His mother doesn't want him too close to the water, right now. All the predators come to watch for them."

"We ready?" Tony asked, coming out of the villa with Clint.

The two had the last of the gear that belonged to the visitors. They'd straightened the place up to make it easier for cleaning, but had already been told not to bother with more than that; the place would be cleaned top to bottom and restocked for whomever might need it, next.

Pepper came up the ramp, having been taking last minute pictures of the water and the jet with Natasha and Clint helping load it.

"I am."

"Peter?"

"Yes."

"Let's get to the capitol, then," Tony said, settling himself into a drop down seat. "They're expecting us for dinner."

OOOOOOOO

There was a bit of a crowd waiting for them when they landed, but in order to keep it from being official, T'Challa wasn't one of them. _Shuri_ was, though, and she greeted Clint and Natasha formally for the Wakandans before hugging Peter and then handing Ironpig over to the boy.

"This is your pig buddy?" Clint asked, reaching over and taking the piglet from the boy and examining him, closely. "He looks _delicious_."

Tony scowled, even as Peter grinned, and took the piglet from Clint.

"You can't _eat_ Ironpig," Stark said, cradling the little thing protectively under his arm – like a football, Peter thought, privately. "He has a name."

Barton rolled his eyes, amused.

"You're giving him to Jack Lee?"

"Yeah," Peter said. "I'm going to take Shuri, Azoru and Ned with me, so they can see the farm."

The princess smiled, excitedly.

"And I will get to meet _Spot_."

"Where's this kid at that almost killed you?" Clint asked, changing the subject from the pig to the young Jabari noble since Peter mentioned him.

"He arrived this morning," Shuri said. "He will be presented before you leave in the morning, but has chosen to stay away from the activities, tonight." She rolled her eyes. "He is welcomed to attend, but has proclaimed that he is unworthy of being allowed to have fun since this trip to your home is supposed to be a punishment."

"He's in for a lot of _disappointment_, then," Tony told her, still cooing Ironpig. "I happen to know Peter has plans for you guys to go have a good time. _With him_."

"I am looking forward to it."

Romanoff was sure of it. It was going to be informal and she'd have a lot more freedom than normal for the Wakandan princess – within the guidelines and restrictions that were placed on the teens by Natasha, Steve and probably Tony – and whatever T'Challa came up with before they left. It would be a good time for her.

"So am I," Peter told her.

She frowned, looking at him closely.

"Why do you have grass in your hair?"

Clint smirked.


	96. Chapter 96

They were given time to relax in their rooms before dinner. Which was promising to be filled with a lot of entertainment and pomp, from what Shuri told them, giving them warning ahead of time. Peter didn't need to rest, so he left Tony and Pepper in the suite and showed Clint and Natasha around the palace – even though Natasha had already seen some of it when she was there, earlier, and Clint wasn't really all _that_ interested.

The one thing that they were both interested in was the window that Peter had apparently broken and dove out of, and both asked to see it. The boy didn't know for certain which one it was, but the guard who was there to assist them did, and she guided them to the proper level and then the correct window – which had been repaired.

Barton whistled, looking down at the city below.

"That's a hell of a swan dive, Peter."

"Yeah. I didn't know what I was _doing_, though," he reminded them. "I'm just lucky that Tony was there to catch me."

"Yes." Natasha looked calm, which told both of them that she _wasn't_. "Why are we bringing this guy home with us?"

"It's an honor thing," Peter explained. "He was supposed to be a good guest – here you treat your guests as well as your family, if not better. Because he didn't, I had to decide his punishment, since in Wakanda I'm considered a man and he had to answer to the wrongs that he did to me. Not Tony or Pepper."

"So I _get_ the wood carvings and spears and the rugs," Clint said. "But why bring him _home_? Won't he just _hate_ it?"

"That the idea behind it," Peter said with a shrug. "The _Jabari_ don't leave their homelands for anything, really, and it was the biggest punishment that I could think of – to make him come home with me and learn how a guest is supposed to be treated. So, when we get him home, I'm going to make him have a good time, whether he likes it or not, because if I _hadn't_, his tribal elders would have been a lot harder on him – to save the honor of the tribe. Might have even killed him, to prove to me they took his punishment seriously."

Romanoff scowled, which made Peter smile, because _now_ he understood why she was annoyed. She was upset because Azoru's actions could have killed _him_. Which made sense. She was even more annoyed that he was being rewarded with a trip to the Avengers compound and three days hanging out with the Avengers, themselves. _She_ didn't see it as a punishment, at all.

"He's going to _hate_ it," he assured her. "At least to begin with. But we have to show him a good time. And we have to be super nice to him, because now _we're_ the hosts, and we're the examples for him."

"He's not going to hate it as much as _Nat_ is," Clint said, also figuring out why she wasn't looking thrilled with the idea.

Peter looked at her, knowing that he was right, but hoping to make her understand so she wouldn't be angry or annoyed.

"_Please_, Natasha? Be nice to him? Even if it's just because I'm asking you to? It's _important_. Especially since I was thinking of having you spar with him – to teach him some of the ways we fight back home. Tony won't let me spar with him."

"Of course not," Clint said. "A hothead like him? He'd throw himself at you, get chewed up and then come back for more. You'd practically be forced to maim him, just to make him back off."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what Tony said. He has something to prove if he fights me, but Natasha being a woman – and Steve being the age of an elder – will keep him from becoming irrational. He already knows the women _here_ can beat the snot out of him, so he can assume the ones at my home can, as well."

"You want me to fight him?" she asked, incredulous.

"No. I want you to teach him. Like you teach me. If he gets hit, he gets hit, but I don't want you to beat him up for me. My honor is fine."

The spy scowled, looking over at Clint.

"Now I know why Tony said he was getting tired of that word."

"What word?" Peter asked, curiously.

"Honor."

He shrugged.

"It's more important to some people than their lives," the boy said.

"Yeah. I _know_." She wasn't thinking about anyone in Africa when she said it, though. She was thinking about Joel King. She sighed. "Fine. I'll be nice to him. I'll _drown_ him in niceness."

Since that was all she was going to be allowed to drown him in.

Peter smiled and hugged her, and Clint smirked, wondering why she'd thought that she even had a _chance_ to say no to him. The boy had her under his spell, utterly and completely.

"Thanks, Natasha. I'll make it up to you."

"I want one of the Jabari spears."

"Done."

"And another hug, later."

Peter grinned.

"Whenever you want."

"Let's go see when dinner's going to be," Clint said. "I'm getting hungry, and Tony won't let me near your piglet."

"Because he's too _cute_ to eat," Peter replied, smiling.

Man, he missed these guys.

OOOOOOO

"Dinner's in half an hour, or so," Tony told them when they all returned to the suite. Clint and Nat had been put into a suite right beside theirs for the night, which was perfect, really. "According to Okoye, there will be a lot of ceremony, thanking us for coming and allowing them to host us and then us thanking them in return for being such good hosts."

"Sounds easy."

"There will be entertainment, too. Dancers, chanting, acrobats, I don't know what else. So figure it's going to be a long night."

"We took turns napping on the way here," Romanoff assured him. "We'll be fine."

Tony looked at Peter.

"_What_? I'm not going to fall asleep."

Just because he had before. That was different; he'd just finished a long, exciting plane ride and a sleepless night.

Clint grinned.

"Want me to sit beside him and poke him every time he closes his eyes?"

"He's going to be sitting between Shuri and Ramonda," Stark advised. "They gave me a seating chart to avoid any confusion when we come through the door. I sit beside T'Challa, Pepper beside me, Ramonda beside her, then Peter, and then Shuri. You and Natasha aren't part of the ceremony, so you can sit wherever you want and enjoy the show."

"Sounds a lot less stressful," Romanoff said, approvingly.

"After dinner and the show, we'll make our manners and get some sleep – especially you two. We're leaving after breakfast, and once our young guest gets presented to us."

"And after T'Challa finishes telling Shuri what she's allowed to do and what he doesn't want her to do," Pepper added.

"He's already given me that list," Tony told them. "It's a doozy and I'll make sure you all know. Not because I think she'll go behind our backs, but because I want to make sure her visit is as safe as possible."

"No ceremonial clothing, right?" Romanoff confirmed. "Teenager, not princess?"

"Correct. Same with Azoru, who is being fitted with jeans and t-shirts and sneakers – probably as we speak."

"Bet he loves that."

"He doesn't have to love it. He just has to do as he's told. Especially since this has to do with keeping Shuri and him safe during their visit."

"The itinerary isn't set for when we get back," Natasha advised. "We have a pretty good idea of some of what you guys want to do with him and Shuri – and what she would enjoy – but beyond the barbeque on Friday, it's pretty open."

"We'll plan on brunch on Sunday," Tony said, looking at Pepper to see if she objected. "And you know Ned's invited, right?"

"His mother called Steve to double check the times. Clint's going to bring him in before he goes home."

"I think I'll bring the family to the barbeque, though," Barton added. "Yeah?"

"Absolutely."

That would make it better, really.

"I'm going to go clean up and get ready for dinner," Natasha told them. "Let me know when it's time."


	97. Chapter 97

Dinner was just as formal and filled with ceremony as Tony had suggested it was going to be, but despite that, Peter had a very good time.

One of T'Challa's aides came for Tony, Pepper and Peter just before the evening's festivities were to start, and they were placed in a receiving line, greeting all of the tribal chieftains and other notables who were attending their farewell dinner. Situated between Pepper and Tony, Peter found himself subjected to many handshakes and hugs, depending on who it was that was being introduced to him at the moment, and many of them were pleasantly surprised when he would greet them in their own tongue – especially if _they_ didn't speak his.

M'Baku was at the final celebration, as well, and now that the man had paid his retribution, as had his tribe, he was very casual with the boy and his parents. He greeted all three with an actual smile, and asked about their health, making small talk. He assured Peter that the retribution carvings, rugs and spears were all the finest available and that T'Challa had had them all crated for transportation and they would be loaded the next morning at their convenience.

He also assured them Azoru was prepared to leave in the morning, as well.

Once the receiving line was complete and everyone else sat down, they were seated as well. T'Challa gave a short speech about the value of guests – especially ones from distant lands – and then told everyone to enjoy the meal.

"Did you enjoy your safari, Peter?" Ramonda asked, as they were being served their first course.

Peter nodded, smiling, broadly.

"It was amazing. The guides that were sent with us were very knowledgeable and were very kind to us. The country was beautiful and all of the people that we met were amazing. You should be very proud of your country. I would be."

She beamed. They chatted a little longer, but she was a royal, and was much in demand for conversation and couldn't _just_ spend time talking to him. Shuri was there, as well, of course, trying to get him to tell her what all he had planned for them to do while in New York, but Peter had given her a lot of the ideas and didn't want to tell her everything. He just shrugged, reminding her that plans could change in an instant, so there was no sense in letting her know what all of theirs were.

Between courses in the meal there was a lot of entertainment. T'Challa had gone all out in showing off the people of his country, and there was dancing, singing, and traditional story telling. All in all, it was a lot like Peter's first night in Wakanda, only he wasn't tired as he had been before, and as such, he was able to thoroughly enjoy himself.

After the final course – which wasn't a sweet, like desserts that Peter was used to – T'Challa stood, gaining everyone's attention. Once the room was silent and looking at him, he turned to one of his guard and nodded and then turned to Peter.

"There is still one more matter that needs to be taken care of," the young king told the watching crowd. "That is the crown's payment of retribution to our young guest."

Peter sighed, inwardly. He'd hoped that all of that was done with, now – or at least that it would be when Azoru was finished with his visit. Outwardly, he did his best to keep his expression interested.

As if he understood, T'Challa smiled.

"Peter?"

The boy stood, wondering if he was supposed to go to where T'Challa was, but a surreptitious hand gripping the belt loops on his jeans indicated that he should simply stay where he was, and he glanced at Ramonda for just a moment to thank her before turning to T'Challa. The guard returned, carrying a large, covered object between herself and another woman. The king moved, walking over to it.

"A final penance," T'Challa told him. "But one willingly given."

He pulled the cover from the object and Peter saw that it was the painting that he'd seen on the wall of the palace. The incredible one with the panther overlooking the country of Wakanda. He'd wanted to take a picture and reproduce it, but clearly T'Challa had a different plan. And while he would have been fine with a reproduction, he knew he'd be offending if he declined what was being offered.

"Wow. That is amazing."

He couldn't even say thank you – but he _wanted_ to. Thanking him would have made it a gift. Not an obligation. Peter's smile was indication enough that it was definitely deemed an acceptable reimbursement for the damages done to him under T'Challa's care, and the king smiled, obviously pleased with himself.

"I will have it wrapped and ready to be stored on your transport for your flight home."

"Thank you."

_That_ he could say thank you for.

"Retribution is complete," T'Challa said, formally. "Honor restored."

There were various nods – although they all knew that there was still one part that wasn't, but it was a personal matter of honor between Peter and Azoru. The king's honor, and the Wakandan and Jabari honor were now in balance once more. Peter was beginning to agree with Tony about the whole mess, really, and was glad it was almost done with.

It made him relieved, though, that the Asgard didn't have the whole retribution thing, too. Loki was a much bigger nuisance than Azoru, who knew what Thor would have had to hand over to repay them for his attacks on Peter and Pepper? He nodded his agreement, too, and sat down with a sigh, and another grateful look at Ramonda when she released him.

"Thanks."

When the meal was over, they mingled with the guests and the royals. Peter normally would stick close to Tony, but he and Pepper were very much sought after for discussions and the boy ended up spending a lot of time with Natasha and Clint, instead. Which was fine with him. M'Baku ended up joining them, either because he was interested in furthering his previous conversation with Peter, or because the boy was standing next to an exotic, gorgeous woman. Peter didn't even try to hazard a guess – but he knew _he_ wasn't that interesting.

"I'm going to go to bed," Romanoff finally told Peter, once there was a lull in the conversations going on around them. "I'll see you in the morning."

He smiled, nodding. Clint had already left the party, completely uninterested in making small talk with everyone, and low enough on the totem pole that he could slip away from the party. Peter wasn't planning on staying too much longer, but figured since he was one of the guests of honor, he couldn't be the first to leave. Peter caught Natasha's hand, though, before she could go.

"Thanks for coming to get us," he told her. "I know it's not like hopping to Dallas, or Seattle, or something…"

She wrapped her arms around him, ignoring the fact that they were in a somewhat formal setting filled with tribal nobility and even royalty, and hugged him, close.

"You're welcome, baby," she told him. "I'd have come twice as far, just for the reception." The super spy kissed him; eyes amused. "Besides, who _else_ would I trust to get you home, safely?"

Which made him feel warm and fuzzy inside – as she must have known that it would. She squeezed his hand and told him goodnight, again, and left. And her spot was immediately claimed by Shuri.

"Are you ready to leave?" she asked him, and he decided that she'd been waiting for Natasha to leave so she wouldn't be interfering with their reunion.

Peter looked around, to see if anyone would mind; Tony and Pepper were still talking with T'Challa – only now M'Baku and a couple of T'Challa's council people were there, too.

"Do you think it's okay?"

She was pretty much the expert on Wakandan protocol, after all.

"Yes. The evening is definitely winding down. No one will mind if we leave, and I am going to go finish my packing. Again. Would you mind walking me to my rooms?"

"Of course. Let me tell Tony where I'm going."


	98. Chapter 98

"Well… he looks about as _uncomfortable_ as I've ever seen anyone look…"

Pepper nodded in response to Tony's soft murmur, but her eyes never left the scene in front of them – or the young Jabari noble. Azoru had presented himself to them after breakfast, as he had been directed. The young man was dressed in blue jeans, a white t-shirt and tennis shoes and at his feet was a travel bag that almost certainly held three more sets of similar clothing. His back was ramrod stiff, and he refused to look any direction other than straight ahead, as he stood before his king, and M'Baku, with his parents flanking him.

Also present for the formalities were Shuri, Peter, Clint, Natasha, Ramonda, Tony and Pepper. No one else had been invited.

"You _understand_ what is expected of you?" M'Baku asked the boy.

"I do. I will be a proper guest, and will do as directed by Mr. Stark, in order to insure my safety as well as the princess's."

"You will do what _anyone_ in authority tells you," T'Challa corrected. "If Tony Stark gives them authority over you."

"As you say, my king."

T'Challa looked at Tony.

"Any concerns, Tony?"

"None." He looked at the boy's parents, making eye contact with both of them. "We'll take _good_ care of him. You have my word."

They both nodded, but still looked concerned. Understandable, since he'd never been out of Wakanda before and now he was going halfway around the world to spend time with people he didn't know anything about.

"This audience is concluded."

Natasha and Clint stepped forward to talk to Azoru, letting him know that he could make his way to the Quinjet whenever he was ready. The others went to have a final word with T'Challa, who wasn't going to see them off, so it didn't have to turn into a huge ceremony.

"Any concerns regarding whatshername here?" Tony asked the king, gesturing with his head toward Shuri.

"She knows to do what you tell her," T'Challa said, giving his sister a stern look.

The girl nodded, smiling, and broke formalities long enough to hug him, tightly. He smiled, too, and held her close.

"Stay out of trouble."

"I _will_, brother."

She hugged Ramonda, as well, and then Ramonda hugged Peter, smiling.

"You _must_ come visit us, again, Peter," she said.

"I hope to," he replied, sincerely. "Thank you for having us. It was fun."

Tony and Pepper were making their goodbyes, then, as well, and then they all left, heading to the jet, where their bags had already been delivered, even before breakfast.

"This was fun," Pepper said, putting her arm over Peter's shoulder as they walked. "I'm glad you came out to join us."

The boy smiled, knowing that she meant it, and he nodded.

"I had a good time. Besides, I couldn't have been apart from you guys for a month."

"He's too much of a _momma's_ boy," Tony teased.

She laughed, but Peter knew that it was probably true, and didn't even deny it.

OOOOOO

They were still smiling when they arrived at the jet. The cargo area was well packed, and all of them moved around the large wooden crate that held Peter's retribution from the Jabari – as well as the painting T'Challa had presented him with. They also had all of their luggage – as well as Shuri's and Azoru's bag and a few souvenirs that they'd picked up to take home.

Those items were toward the back of the jet, freeing the rest of the space behind the cockpit for them to settle in for the flight. When they arrived, Clint was doing preflight, while Natasha was settling Azoru into a drop seat along the fuselage. Shuri smiled and sat beside him, while Tony and Pepper took the seats on the opposite side of the plane, facing them. All of them had the option of using the seat beside them to make it more comfortable if they wanted to lie down at all.

Peter went into the cockpit to see if Clint needed help, and when he said he was done, the boy walked out to help Natasha double-check Shuri and Azoru's harness.

"You've never flown before?" Peter asked.

"Never."

"It's fun," he assured him. "And a lot faster than walking, or driving."

Romanoff handed the Jabari a couple of barf-bags.

"Just in case," she told him, an amused smile crossing her lovely features.

Shuri explained the purpose while Peter turned toward Pepper and Tony. He was going to sit in the jump seat behind the pilots, but with the jet it was safe to say that he could move around once they'd taken off, so it didn't really matter where he was sitting.

"You guys set?" he asked with a grin, excited to be heading home and ready to see everyone else. "Got your toothbrushes? Didn't leave anything?"

Tony smiled, reaching under the seat and pulling out a medium sized pet carrier with a handle on the top. A soft, indignant squeal came from inside.

"You mean, like your _pig_?"

Pepper snorted, amused. The carrier had a water bowl and some specialized feed that the Wakandans had provided to make sure Ironpig didn't starve on the way to his new home. Unlike many other African countries, they weren't worried about quarantining the little guy, since Wakanda had one of the safest food sources in the world, and very few diseases. The piglet had been checked while they had been on safari, and he was more than healthy enough to be transported – although none of them understood why the foreigners were bothering.

Surely they had pigs at home.

"He's okay?"

"Tony's going to watch him during the flight," Pepper assured him. "He'll probably get more attention than I will."

"Go buckle in, Peter," Natasha said, coming up behind him and running her hand along his shoulder. "We're getting clearance, now."

He nodded, smiling at them before leaving them to their pig-sitting duties and heading for the jump seat behind where Clint was seated. He reached for a headset, and listened in as Clint spoke with the Wakandan ground control, who were also responsible for making sure their forcefield was down in the right location when the Quinjet left. Something none of them wanted to have screwed up.

Knowing that the others couldn't hear what was going on, the boy turned in his seat and gave Tony and Pepper a thumbs-up to let them know they were taking off, and a moment later the powerful thrusters on the jet started powering up.

_"He's never flown before,"_ Peter reminded Clint, knowing full well just how fast Hawkeye liked to take off, and thinking that a slightly gentler approach might be a good idea._ "You're cleaning the jet when we get home."_

Barton looked back at him, good-naturedly, and rolled his eyes, but when they took off it was as smooth as Peter had ever felt, and even better, he didn't hear any retching behind him.

OOOOOOOO

Shuri looked up when Clint and Natasha both came out of the cockpit to check on their passengers. Romanoff went to the teens, and Barton to Tony and Pepper. The spy looked at the young Jabari, first, and was relieved to see that he didn't have any signs of discomfort. Of course, they were three hours into the flight, now, and over open water which wasn't so bumpy as far as airspace went, but she didn't wish airsickness on anyone for that long of a time.

Even the kid.

"How are you two doing?" she asked then both.

They had a game board between them and were playing something that might have been Chinese Checkers, but with a lot more pieces and squares.

"We are fine," Shuri assured her. "Are we getting near?"

"Still have a few more hours. We're going to be landing early morning, New York time, so if you guys can sleep, it wouldn't be a bad idea. It'll help keep the jetlag down. We're going to turn the lights low to help."

"Where is Peter?"

"He's flying the plane."

She smiled, excited.

"May I go watch?"

"Nope. No distractions in the cockpit. Sorry. Azoru? Need anything?"

The Jabari shook his head, and was extremely polite and formal when he replied.

"No. Thank you, I am well."

"Alright. Keep yourselves buckled in unless you need anything. Okay?"

They both nodded, and went back to their game, and Natasha walked to the other side of the plane to stand beside Clint. Tony arched an eyebrow.

"How's he doing?"

"Peter?"

"Azoru."

"He's _fine._ If he's airsick, he's hiding it, well."

"Thank goodness," Clint added.

"How's _Peter_?"

"He's good, too," Natasha said. "I'm going to send him back here when we go back to the cockpit. I want him to get some sleep during the flight."

"Then make up a reason to have him sit with us," Pepper told her, softly. "Shuri won't sleep if Peter's sitting beside her, and she'll keep _him_ awake, too."

"Smart," Tony approved.

"I'll take care of it."

They went back to the cockpit, and a few minutes later Peter walked out. He went over and spoke with Azoru and Shuri for a minute, and was clearly making sure both of them understood how the sleep addition to the drop seats worked. Then he joined Pepper and Tony, sitting down next to Tony, who slid a hand onto his bony shoulder.

"You flew?"

The boy smiled.

"Yeah."

"Good job. Couldn't tell your flying from Clint's."

"Thanks."

"We're going to get some sleep," Pepper told him as Natasha – or Clint – turned down the lights on the interior of the plane. "You should, too."

"Yeah, that's what Natasha said."

Rather than bother with an extender to stretch his legs out, Peter simply settled himself sideways, stretching his feet along the metal of the fuselage. Then he put his head on Tony's leg and shifted until he was comfortable. Stark smiled over at Pepper, who was settling herself in for a nap, as well. He put his hand on Peter's cheek for just a moment, and then rested it on his arm.

Less than a half hour later, everyone in the back of the jet was asleep.


	99. Chapter 99

Peter woke when he felt the jet descending. He sat up, looking at Tony, first, and seeing that he must have slept, as well, because he was just opening his eyes when the lights in the cabin of the plane came back on.

"We're not too far out from the compound," Natasha said, loudly enough for them all to hear her without a headset. "Rise and shine, everyone, and please store your tray tables in their upright positions and remove all carryon items from the aisles."

Pepper had been dozing, and lifted her head from Tony's shoulder, looking around when the lights came on. Peter didn't miss the fact that she looked for him, first, apparently decided that he was fine, and then smiled at Tony before turning her attention to the other side of the jet, where Shuri and Azoru were waking up as well, looking around.

"How did you sleep?" Tony asked Peter.

"Good." Of course he did. He always did when he was close to him. "You?"

"Well enough to last me through the rest of the day, I think. Go watch the landing," Stark told him, knowing Peter would want to watch them coming in for the landing. "Make sure they're doing it right."

The boy smiled and unbuckled his harness, and looked over and waved at Shuri and Azoru as he went to the cockpit and settled in the jump seat behind Natasha, now, since she and Clint had traded places sometime during the flight. He only saw open water, still, but the jet's HUD was showing the coast only a minute or so away.

"Good morning, baby," Romanoff said, turning her head to look over her shoulder at him.

"Hey. We're close?"

"Yeah. Steve is going to meet everyone. It's just breakfast time, here, so we're going to make things low-key right now. We'll get our guests settled into their quarters and give them a chance to stretch their legs a little and then you can give Azoru the tour of the compound, so he knows where the important places are – or knows how to ask for assistance in case he gets turned around. We'll have a little bit of a gathering this evening around dinner to welcome the guests, then call it an early night so you guys can all catch up on your sleep."

"Ned's coming tomorrow."

"Right. We're going to put him in quarters of his own."

Normally they didn't need to, since he usually just sacked out on Peter's couch. This time he was going to be there a few days, so that was different.

As they were talking, the coast came up on them, and Clint banked the jet to follow the land until they reached the promontory that protected the area near the compound. Peter grinned, excitedly, more than ready to be home, and he watched as Barton expertly turned the jet into its final approach, coming in from the same direction as the sun, the Quinjet casting a shadow on the glistening façade of the main building as they landed near the field.

Peter unbuckled himself and got up, walking over to Shuri and Azoru.

"How do you guys feel?"

The princess unbuckled her harness, assuming that since Peter had, it must be alright to do so. Azoru followed suit.

"I am fine. _Excited_," she said. "Natasha has said Steve will be meeting us?"

He smiled. It had to be someone amazing like Captain America to make a _princess_ giddy, right?

"Yeah." He gave them a quick rundown of what Natasha had just told him, and was joined by Tony, who was holding Ironpig in his arm, the carrier open and sitting on the seat Peter had abandoned, and Pepper, who was still stretching a little. "Want me to take him?" he offered, reaching for the pig.

Tony shook his head, turning his body just enough to keep the boy from being able to take the piglet from his grasp.

"I've got him."

Pepper rolled her eyes.

"We'll let you two relax and get settled in, but we will expect you for lunch in the lounge at one o'clock."

"Peter's going to show you around, Azoru," Tony added. "If you have any questions, make sure you ask, okay?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

"_Tony_."

Romanoff walked by, then, and made her way to the rear of the jet, hitting the hatch release, and the interior lit up even more as the ramp lowered. They all walked over and watched it sink down, revealing Steve Rogers waiting for them, standing at the bottom of the ramp once it was lowered. Beside him was Stephen Strange, who was dressed in a sharp suit, an odd contrast to the military uniform that Steve was wearing.

Both men smiled when they saw Natasha and the others, though.

"We'll take care of your bags," Clint said, walking up behind them and heading for the ramp. "Don't worry about them; I'll have them taken to your rooms."

They all walked down the ramp, and Steve – acting as ambassador for the compound – greeted Azoru and Shuri with just enough formality to make sure they weren't offended at the lack of pomp and circumstance. The flight had been too long for them to want to have a real welcome ceremony, so they weren't upset by any means, and they stood politely to the side while Tony and Pepper greeted Steve and then Stephen, who hugged Pepper, cheerfully, and gave the pig in Tony's arm an odd look.

"Do I even _want_ to know?"

"Probably not," Stark admitted with a smile.

"Welcome home."

"Thanks. Barbeque tomorrow. Don't miss it – and make sure Wong knows he's invited."

"We'll be there." Strange smiled a greeting to Shuri, nodded to Azoru and then offered Natasha his arm. "We'll be in the lounge."

Tony nodded, and gave Pepper the arm that wasn't holding the pig, before he looked at Peter.

"Show everyone where they're going to be staying." He looked at Shuri and Azoru, again. "You're welcome to look around, but do _not_ leave the compound without permission, understood?"

They both indicated that they understood, and Tony turned and left, with Pepper, Steve and Ironpig. Clint was already gathering a small army of people to start unloading the jet.

"We're going to put this in the gym," he told Peter, gesturing to the crate of retribution items. "That's what Tony suggested."

"Okay, thanks." Peter turned to his guests. "Ready?"

They both walked with him as he led them into the building.

"I'm going to show you my quarters, first," he told them. "That way you can find me if you need me – I'm pretty close to this entrance, and not too far from your VIP rooms."

"He is next to Natasha – who is right beside Steve," Shuri added for Azoru's information.

The Jabari noble nodded, but that didn't mean the same thing to him that it meant to Shuri. He didn't know either of them, so he didn't care where they slept. He was looking around with interest, though, as they walked down the corridor and then Peter opened the door to his quarters.

_"Welcome home, Peter…"_

Azoru turned, sharply, at the feminine voice, but didn't see anyone.

"Thanks, Karen."

Shuri smiled at the young noble's confusion.

"That is Peter's AI, _Karen_. Fully interactive, and capable of communications, quantum responses and she connects him instantly to Tony, through his AI Friday.

It was clear to Azoru that Shuri was impressed, but he didn't know so much about talking walls or quantum responses, so he just attempted to look interested as a good guest would, and nodded. Well aware that Azoru wasn't that interested in what an AI was, Peter smiled.

"Come on, I'll show you around."

Shuri already knew the compound fairly well, and knew the room she was staying in once Peter told her which one it was, but she walked with the two boys as Peter showed Azoru the basic areas. They went to the weight room, to the gym, the pool and the lounge, where they saw Tony and Pepper sitting with Stephen and Steve, and the boy saw that Jack was with Steve, now – although he hadn't been when they'd landed.

Probably to keep the puppy from doing something irresponsible and peeing on something, Peter decided. Or chewing on something. Now, the little lab was showing complete interest in Ironpig, who was being held by Pepper and obviously wallowing in the attention while ignoring Jack's drooling sniffs and excited yips. The three teens didn't stop to talk; they didn't even go all the way into the lounge.

"This is where we usually eat," Peter explained. "But there's a larger room, too, if you prefer. You're not a prisoner," he told Azoru as they headed for the VIP quarters. "So you can look around all you want. I'll take you guys out of the compound, too, so you can see more than just this area, though."

"Will we do putt-putt?" Shuri asked.

"We can't," Peter reminded her. "We got kicked out, remember? and the next closest place is further than Tony will want us to go. But we can go bowling or something. Ned's coming tomorrow."

He opened the door of the rooms that would be Azoru's, and stood to the side to allow him to enter, first.

"This is where you will be staying," Shuri told him, following him into the main room. "I am right next door."

The Jabari looked around.

"Who else will be here?"

"No one," Peter assured him. "This is your living room; through there is the bathroom and the bedroom is over there. If you're tired, you can relax for a while and we'll leave you alone to get a chance to settle in. If you'd like, I'll come to get you for lunch."

Impressed with the rooms, and not doing a very good job of hiding it, the young man nodded.

"I would appreciate that, thank you."

"If you need anything, ask anyone and they will get in touch with me or with Tony."

"Or you can come next door," Shuri added.

"Thank you," Azoru repeated.

They left his rooms, then, and Peter walked Shuri to the next door over.

"I'll let you get settled in, too," he said. "Need anything?"

She shook her head.

"No. Nothing. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Need me to come get you for lunch?"

"No. I will meet you there."

The princess hugged Peter and then vanished into her room. Peter waited just a moment to make sure Azoru didn't stick his head out of his door, needing something, and then he headed for his quarters. He had a few people that he wanted to call - especially Ned - and then maybe he'd continue the nap that he'd started on the jet.


	100. Chapter 100

"_Ironpig_, huh?"

"Yes. Pepper named him."

"And you have him because…?"

"Because the alternative was to _eat_ him, and Peter wouldn't allow that."

"I don't blame him," Pepper agreed. "It's one thing to play rugby with a living ball, it's completely another to _eat_ the ball when you're finished with the game."

"Why didn't you give it to someone in Wakanda, though?"

"Because they would have just eaten him, inevitably, Stephen. Peter's smart enough to recognize that. Besides, he was a _gift_ to him, not just asylum hunting refugee. You can't eat a _gift_."

"If I gave you a bag of popcorn, you'd eat it, I imagine," Natasha pointed out.

"Not the same, and you know it."

"What are you going to do with him?" Strange asked, curiously. "Not keep him…"

"Peter's going to take him to Jack's," Pepper said. "He has a farm."

"Where he eats the creatures?"

"Maybe. But Peter already offered room and board for Ironpig, since he's really not going to be worth much as far as helping around the farm or contributing. Peter's money will pay for any food the little guy eats. He'll be a _farm_ pig – and maybe a little spoiled or pampered."

Considering that he was cradled in Pepper's arms, just then, and was absently being petted by Tony and Pepper both, Strange was certain of it.

"Speaking of spoiled. I'll keep Nutmeg at the sanctum until your company leaves. Just to keep him out from underfoot."

"Thanks," Tony said, sincerely. "Peter's going to be busy for the next few days, and he wouldn't have as much time for him. It'll also give us time to put certain protocols in place."

"Like what?" the magician asked, curiously.

"It wouldn't be fair to confine him to Peter's room, exclusively," Stark said. "But from what I've seen, he's not very big, tight?"

Strange held his hands up, and not too far apart, indicating a tiny kitten, really.

"About like so…"

"Easy to lose, then," Stark said. "So we'll put a tracker in his collar, and set up sensors in the compound – maybe run it through Friday – to keep tabs on him."

"And signs on each entrance reminding people not to let the cat out," Romanoff added.

"Right."

"That's a lot of effort for one little stray."

"Not as much effort as trying to help Peter get over him if we lose him," Pepper pointed out. "He'll help install the tracking system, so it'll be something he's invested in."

"And when he eventually goes away to college?" Strange asked. "Then what?"

Tony scowled at the thought of Peter leaving them, but he shrugged.

"Then he's an _Avenger_ kitty, just like Jack is an Avenger dog."

Since he had been to Wakanda while they were there – for a portion of their trip, anyway – Strange didn't need to pester them about how their trip had been. He and Natasha did as them for a description of some of the more interesting things that they had seen on the safari, though, and what the villa had been like.

"Peter's going to have the wooden carvings and woolen Jabari mats put on display in the gym," Tony told him, after they'd described the villa and the area around it in detail – and showed several pictures of the animals they'd seen while there. "I mention this to you, because I know that he expects you to choose one of each for the sanctum. You can do that while you're here for the barbeque."

"I'd like one," Strange admitted. "As well as a mat and one of the spears – although I know he didn't get as many of those."

"He'll give you anything you want," Natasha reminded him. "You know that."

"And if he didn't, _we_ would," Tony added, with Pepper nodding her agreement. "Except Ironpig, here."

"And _Nutmeg_," Pepper added.

"And _Peter_, of course," Natasha pointed out.

"None of you understand the definition of _anything I want_, obviously," the magician said. "There are a lot of restrictions on one sentence."

"Poor _baby_," Natasha murmured, smiling. "Maybe we'll go to a shelter and find _you guys_ a cat, too – to keep you from getting lonely when Nutmeg comes home."

"That isn't necessary," Strange assured her. "I admit; he's pretty cute – sometimes – but that little guy is a right pain in the ass."

"He'll fit in perfectly, here," Pepper said, throwing a glance at Tony, who rolled his eyes.

"I know you didn't mean me."

"Whaaaat?"

They turned the conversation to the improvised schedule for the teens, and the fact that there were going to be four teenagers in the compound during the visit. Curiosity made Stephen ask what kind of security measures were in place for the visiting nobility, but really with Peter in residence, once more, the security that was provided to him safe was more than adequate to keep the Wakandans safe within the compound.

It was when they were going to be out and about that they would be at all vulnerable.

"When they're going someplace public, they won't be dressed any differently than regular teenagers," Tony explained. "And they won't be in the Pontiac. They'll take one of the regular sedans – not one of mine, either, since the license plate would give them away."

"Besides, the SHIELD sedans are armor plated," Natasha added.

"Peter and Ned both have communication watches, also. Including GPS if we needed help finding them."

"We shouldn't, though," Tony said. "Three days. One visit to Jack's farm – in the Pontiac, because that's not public – an outing to putt-putt, or bowling, and the barbeque. Other than those, they'll be here for the most part."

"Sounds like you have it all figured out. "

"Plans can change, and we know to be flexible. But that's what we have so far, and what we'll stick if we can."

"Need anything from me? Or Wong?"

"I don't think so," Tony said. "You're welcome to come for any and everything we have going on. But you already know that."

"Thank you."

OOOOOOOO

"_How was the flight back?"_

"Not bad. I flew a little while, but we slept a bit, too, to keep from being too jetlagged."

"_What's this guy like?"_

"He's a year older than us. I haven't spent a lot of time with him, so that's all I really know. We're going to put you in the room next to his, so you might see more of him than I do."

"_Dude, he almost _killed_ you. I can't believe you're rewarding him with a vacation to hang out with the Avengers."_

"He doesn't think of it as a _reward_. It was do this or pretty much let his tribe decide what his punishment would be."

Ned's expression said that he wouldn't have been nearly as forgiving, but Peter was sure that he would.

"_Are you coming to get me in the morning?"_ his friend asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know. Probably not. I think we're going to be sparring."

"_Yeah? Is he any good?"_

"I don't know that, either."

"_Jesus, this guy could be an axe murderer, Peter."_

The boy grinned.

"Nah. He doesn't set off any of my triggers, so I'm not too worried. Besides, he might be good at whatever he does in Wakanda, but if he thinks he's a good fighter, he's in for a huge surprise when he goes up against Steve or Natasha."

"_Not you?"_

"Tony won't let him spar with me – he'd have too much to prove and might get himself hurt. We'll take him bowling, though, and let him try to beat me there."

"Lila_ can beat you, bowling."_

"It was only the one time – and I _let_ her win."

"_Riiiiiight."_

Peter grinned.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"_Yeah. Mom wants to know if you want cinnamon rolls?"_

"Duh."

Now it was Ned's turn to smile.

"_Are we swimming?"_

"Bring trunks, just in case."

"_Is Natasha swimming?"_

"Ned…"

"_What? I'm just curious…"_

"Probably."

"_Sweet. I mean. Yeah. That's cool. I'll see you tomorrow."_

"Yeah."


	101. Chapter 101

Peter ended up napping once he ended the call with Ned. He was a little tired, still. Luckily, Karen was there to wake him – and he wasn't so tired that she had to do more than buzz his bedroom a few times before he opened his eyes and sat up – immediately worried that he'd slept in.

"What time is it, Karen?"

"_Twelve-thirty. Lunch is at one o'clock. I thought you would want to be awake."_

"I _do_. Thank you. Where are Tony and Pepper?"

The slightest pause while she checked with Friday. It always made Peter think of two women standing at the backyard fence, gossiping about the neighbors.

"_Both are in the lounge."_

"And Shuri?"

"_In her VIP quarters."_

"Azoru?"

"_VIP quarters."_

"Thanks."

He got out of bed, went to the bathroom and made sure the nap hadn't left him looking like a haystack was sitting on his head, and then pulled a sweatshirt on and went to go collect his guests. The one who wanted to be there, and the one who didn't.

Shuri answered his knock, immediately.

"I was just getting ready to come find you," she told him.

"I almost slept through lunch," he admitted as they walked to the next door over and Peter knocked. "Did you get a nap?"

"I watched _TV_," she told him, with a wry smile.

Before she could tell him what show had captured her attention, the door opened and Azoru looked out at them. He looked sleepy, Peter decided, and could feel for him. He wasn't used to traveling, was in a strange place and was probably feeling jet-lagged. They would make sure he had lunch, and then Peter would remind him that they had all afternoon open in case he wanted to go back to bed for a while.

"We're here to take you to lunch," he said. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Peter frowned, noticing that the boy had goosebumps, and realized that he was probably _cold_. The compound was kept cool, since everyone tended to be dressed in uniforms made out of heavier fabrics. One of the reasons that _Peter_ tended to wear sweatshirts, since he chilled pretty easily, even at the best of times. The temperature was much lower than what the Jabari was used to dealing with.

"Are you cold?"

"I am _fine_."

"It is not what he _asked_," Shuri chided, catching on, immediately. _She_ was wearing a sweatshirt, too. "Did you bring warmer clothing?"

"I do not _have_ warm clothing, princess."

Peter pulled his sweatshirt off, and handed it to the other boy.

"Put that on, for now," he said. "We'll get you a couple of them more to your own preferences, but at least you won't be cold."

Since it would have been considered rude to decline the offer – and because he was probably freezing – Azoru slipped the sweatshirt over his head and settled it. Baggy on Peter, it was a good fit for the more muscular Jabari, and Peter nodded his approval. So the guy didn't know what the SHIELD logo on the front meant. It was warm from already being on Peter, and would stay that way.

"Thank you."

They headed for the lounge – Peter made sure to take the simplest route so the Jabari could memorize his way there.

"Are your rooms satisfactory?" Peter asked. "Is there anything you need – aside from more clothes?"

"They are very comfortable," Azoru told him, almost sounding surprised by the consideration. "Thank you."

"Make sure you let someone know if you want anything," Shuri told her fellow countryman. "They are very _accommodating_, but only if they know you need it."

"Yes, princess."

"The lounge – where we're going to eat lunch – usually has a limited menu," Peter explained as they walked, with the girl between them. "If you find that you would like more variety, we'll make sure you can eat in the commissary. They usually have a buffet set up, so you get more options – but they only serve meals at set times."

"I am not a choosy eater," Azoru told him. "Anything will be acceptable."

"Wait and make sure," the boy said with a smile. "Some things are definitely an acquired taste."

They reached the lounge and found that Tony and Pepper were by themselves in their usual corner table. Another table had been pushed together to make more room – and still more might be that evening for dinner. Both adults smiled a welcome at the three teens, but Peter gestured for Shuri to go sit with them, while he guided Azoru to the bar – and to Deena, who was the regular bartender during the day.

He introduced her, and then explained that the bar was open for anything that he wanted to drink – as long as it was in the fridge – and not alcoholic – or he could always make tea or have coffee, which were always available, except for the very wee hours of the night. The Wakandan seemed a little overwhelmed with his options, so Deena offered him a cup of tea and handed Peter one to give Shuri, before the boy pulled a bottle of cola for himself.

"If you have anything in particular you want, ask Deena," Peter said as they walked to the table. "If it's something we can get, she'll find it."

"I will."

Tony and Pepper looked up from their conversation with Shuri as the two boys approached, and Tony gestured for Azoru to have a seat, noticing immediately, of course, that the Jabari was wearing Peter's sweatshirt and that Peter didn't have one on, when he normally did.

"Everything good?"

"Yeah," Peter answered, handing Shuri the tea. "Just introduced Azoru to Deena."

"Are you settling in alright?" Stark asked.

"Yes. Your home is very impressive."

"Thank you. It's relatively new. Are your rooms satisfactory? Warm enough?"

"I am quite comfortable there, thank you."

It was the _corridors_ that were too cold.

"Good." He looked at both of the Wakandans, his expression serious. "Let's go over the ground rules, again, now that you've actually seen the place."

The two nodded, their attention on him.

"Of course."

"You're not prisoners, here, but you don't leave the buildings unless we know where you're heading. Stay away from the pool – unless you're with someone else. That's not just for_ you guys_, that's a hard written rule. Everybody follows it. Can you swim?" he asked Azoru.

"Yes."

"Good. If you find yourself wanting a swim beyond the times that we have that planned, just let us know, and we'll make sure to set it up for you. There are gyms and exercise equipment of all kinds if you have energy to burn."

"Thank you."

Pepper smiled.

"You're our guest," she reminded him. "We want you to have a good time while you are here. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask someone."

"I will."

"Now. Lunch is tacos," Tony said. "Ever had one?"

"No."

"Well, you won't be able to say that, again, after today."

It was a good choice, really. With the taco bar being set up on the table with a variety of taco shells or tortillas, the ingredients were all there, for him to try before putting on the tortilla or on the shell, and then whatever he liked, he could load up on that.

"We expect you to eat as much as you want," Pepper said with a smile as a couple of the kitchen helpers started bringing over the fixings. By now she knew he was used to eating the heaviest meal at lunch. "If you walk away from the table hungry, it's _your_ fault. Understand?"

The boy gave a tentative smile, recognizing that she was trying to put him at ease, and clearly appreciating it.

"Yes."

"Good." She turned to her son. "Peter? Teach him how to make a taco."

"Pay close attention, Azoru," Tony added. "This is one of those life-lessons you can take back home to your friends and family."

Peter smiled.

"I wouldn't go that far. But there is an art to it."


	102. Chapter 102

"So…" Tony said, amused. "I think it's safe to say that our young friend here _likes_ tacos."

Azoru smiled – the first true smile to grace his expression since Tony had met him.

"They are _very_ good, Mr. Stark."

"You're supposed to call me _Tony_," Stark corrected. "And, yes, it's a favorite around here – because _Peter_ likes them, too."

Peter nodded, sitting back with a contented sigh.

"You can put _anything_ in a tortilla, and it'll taste good," he pointed out. "I know. I've _tried_."

"Like what?" Pepper asked, curiously.

"Spaghetti."

"You _didn't_."

"Sure did."

Tony made a face, which made Azoru smile, again, even though he didn't know what that was.

"What else?" Shuri asked.

"Mac and cheese."

"Oh, son, _that's_ disgusting."

Pepper chuckled at the look on her husband's face at that visualization.

"And yet… _so_ delicious," Peter assured him.

It had been a good lunch. While Azoru and Shuri both experimented with the various ingredients laid out on the table in front of them, Tony and Pepper had asked the Jabari about himself, learning about his family and his home life. Not surprisingly, it turned out that M'Baku was the boy's uncle, and he was proud of his people and his lands. He told them he enjoyed hunting, liked dancing and storytelling and knew the history of his people as well as he knew his own story.

In return, Tony had told the boy something of his own past, glossing over the more traumatic moments, and bringing up a display to explain the Ironman suit when the boy showed an interest in it. A flying metal outfit, loaded with weaponry? Who wouldn't be interested? Pepper had given him a little of her background, as well. Not as interesting as Tony's to most people, but since she'd lived on a farm, the boy could definitely relate a little more to her upbringing compared to Tony's.

It was a good way for them to grow more comfortable with each other. By the end of the meal, Azoru was a little more relaxed than he _had_ been, and it showed.

"So you guys are on your own until dinner," Tony told them when even Peter had to admit that he couldn't eat another taco. He and the Jabari had done a fair job of working their way through most of the beef, chicken and assorted items that made up the taco bar. "We're having dinner at seven – and there will be a bit of a celebration of welcome for our guests. We'll give everyone a chance to meet you, Azoru."

The boy nodded.

"What would you like to do?" Peter asked him, as he started stacking the empty dishes. "If you're tired, you can go back to your rooms and relax as much as you want. If you're not, and you want to look around, you can do that – I'll show you around, or you can just look around on your own."

He didn't want him to feel overwhelmed by all the new things in his new surroundings, but he didn't want him to feel abandoned, either.

"What are _you_ going to do?" Azoru asked Shuri.

"I am going to take a nap," she said, looking at Peter apologetically, even though he didn't mind that she wanted some time to herself. "I am tired."

"I would like to see more of your compound," Azoru told Peter. "If you do not mind showing it to me?"

"No. Not at all." He looked at Shuri. "Do you want us to walk you back to your rooms, first?"

"No. I am going to sit her and talk to Pepper and Tony for a while. Go, enjoy yourselves."

"Go check on Ironpig, Peter," Tony suggested. "Steve told me they made him a pen in the gym to keep him safe and out of the way. Let me know if he needs anything."

Peter nodded, and the two boys stood up. Peter picked up some of the stacked dishes to return to the bar, and Azoru followed his example and gathered some, as well, following him to the bar and then out the door.

"He's really a nice kid," Pepper said, as they vanished. "He seems to be intelligent and likeable."

"He is very proud, and an isolationist. His family is one who did not approve, initially, of my father opening Wakanda to outsiders. They have since come to the side of my brother – and M'Baku saved T'Challa's life when the throne was contested, but some of the beliefs that Azoru was raised with still cling to him, stubbornly."

"Which makes the punishment so much more apt, doesn't it?" Tony asked, approving.

He was willing to be a good host and do whatever they needed to do, but he'd taken a scare he wasn't ready to forgive when Peter had gone out the window in front of him.

Shuri nodded her agreement.

"It is good for him to learn that his people are not the only people there are – or the only ones he should care about. Humility and compassion are good qualities for a future leader to have, and this will teach him both."

"And what will it teach _you_, young lady?" Tony asked her, amused at the very adult discussion they were having.

Of course, he was impressed by her, already, so he could tease her.

"I will learn how to _bowl_, I hope."

"Try not to get yourselves kicked out of the bowling alley," Pepper suggested. "If you keep it up, he's going to have to drive into the city to have any fun."

"I will keep that in mind."

OOOOOOO

"Anything in particular you want to see?" Peter asked as they walked out of the lounge.

"Whatever the men do here."

"They pretty much do the same as the _women_," the boy pointed out. "Let's go check on Ironpig for Tony, then I'll show you the gym while we're there."

Thoughts of maybe teaching the Jabari how to shoot basketballs were dashed when they walked into the gym. Someone had delivered the crates from the Quinjet into the middle of the large room, blocking the basket, effectively, and the other side of the room was now sporting an enclosure about twenty square feet, surrounded by temporary fencing and floored with a couple of large, soft carpet pieces to protect the polished floor from the piglet and the piglet from the hard floor.

Standing beside the pen, watching the piglet intently, was Jack, who was wagging his tail, furiously, clearly excited.

"What are you doing, little man?" Peter asked the half-grown puppy, who left the pig long enough to be petted and then turned his attention back to Ironpig.

"What are you going to do with him?" Azoru asked, curiously, wondering why they had brought the pig home.

"I have a friend who owns a farm not too far from here," Peter replied. "We're going to deliver him there, day after tomorrow."

"I am coming?"

"Yeah," Peter said, reaching over the fencing and picking up the piglet, and then setting him on the floor to see how he and Jack would interact. "It'll be a good chance for you to see something other than the compound and get some fresh air. He has a dog named Spot that belonged to my family when I was a baby."

"But no longer?"

"Jack – my friend – took Spot when my folks were killed. I didn't know where he was until Tony and Pepper found him. But by then he was more Jack's than he was mine, so he stayed on the farm, and I go see him, sometimes."

Azoru must have been told Peter's history – probably had been given background on all of them, to a point before being sent to stay with them – because he didn't ask any questions about why Tony and Pepper had Peter, instead of someone else. He reached down and picked up the piglet before Jack could slobber him up too badly, and nodded.

"I would be interested in seeing the farm," he admitted.

"I'll make sure you have plenty of time to look around," Peter promised. "We-"

"Hey, Peter Pony. What are you guys doing with Steve's _dog_ and Tony's _pig_?"

Both boys looked over and saw Clint walking toward them, dressed in his usual uniform, but carrying his bow and the case that Peter knew held many of his more specialized arrowheads – as well as a quiver of simple ones.

"We're checking on Ironpig," Peter told him. "What are you doing?"

"Going to try out a new arrowhead," he said. "Want to come help?"

Peter looked at Azoru.

"Interested?"

The Jabari had been looking at the bow Clint was carrying with interest, so Peter wasn't too surprised when he agreed.

"Yes."

"Put the pig back," Clint told him. "I'm not going to be responsible if he gets loose and we have to go chase him down."

The boy put the pig back into his enclosure and left Jack to his guarding, and followed Barton out to the training field.


	103. Chapter 103

The new arrowheads were interesting enough; they were designed to shatter doors, or thin walls, that kind of thing to recede an infiltration and clear the way for a SWAT team or a special forces team. Done from a distance, Clint pointed out, it could save potential casualties. Which was great, for any future need that might arise.

Just then, however, Azoru was clearly interested in just how good Clint was with his chosen weapon. A weapon that the Jabari used, as well. Just not one so refined, and with such range. When done trying out the new arrowheads against solid block targets out in the field, Clint had Peter bring out a straw target, which was placed a ridiculously far distance from their firing line. Then the archer put on a shooting display that had impressed Azoru utterly and completely, much to Peter's satisfaction.

"Want to try it?" Clint asked the young noble.

"You will allow me?"

"Make sure you don't hit me – or _Peter_."

He handed his bow to the young man, who smiled, excitedly. The Jabari knocked an arrow to the string and drew the bow, his stance showing that the bow wasn't an unfamiliar weapon to him, and when he loosed the arrow and hit the target – not the red, but a piece of the yellow – he grinned. Especially when Peter and Clint both looked on with approval.

"Try a few more," Peter suggested. "That was great, considering you've never held that particular bow, before."

Azoru looked at Clint for permission and Barton nodded his agreement, always interested when he found someone else who liked archery. Out of ten shots that he took at the target, nine hit the thing, and one was even in the red.

"Very good," Clint told him, sincerely. "You do a lot of archery back home?"

"It is our primary hunting weapon," the boy said. "We use it for defense and when there is a special occasion and wild meat is preferred."

"We'll your family isn't going to starve, with aim like that. Go collect the arrows, will you?"

The young man did as he was told, and Clint looked over at Peter while they waited.

"Not bad, huh?"

"Right?"

"More to him than a stick up the butt noble."

Peter grinned at that, but Azoru was back before he could reply.

Clint handed the bow to Peter, and winked at him.

"Show him what he'd be able to do with it if he had one to practice with all the time – like you do."

Peter smiled at that and shot of ten arrows as well. All of them hit the bulls-eye – although he didn't make a smiley face out of them like he knew Clint wanted him to. There was no sense in showing off.

"Good job, Peter Pony," Clint told him, slapping his back as he took his bow back. "Go get your arrows."

"He is very good," Azoru said, grudgingly when Peter trotted off toward the target.

"He _lives_ here," Clint reminded him. "He has access to every weapon the place has to offer – and the ones that he wants to learn to use, he's mastered."

"Why do you call him Peter Pony? I was told his surname is Parker."

"It's a nickname. Stay here long enough, and I'll probably have one for _you_, too. We're not big on formalities, here. You'll see."

"Thank you for allowing me to try your bow."

"You ever use a compound bow, before?"

"Never."

"They give you a lot more power on the draw. If you get some free time and I'm available, you can try it again, tomorrow or the next day."

"Thank you."

Peter returned, and settled the arrows back into their quiver.

"What are you boys going to do, now?" Clint asked.

"I'm just showing Azoru where everything is."

"I know Steve is doing some training in the weight room. Might be worth seeing, too."

Peter nodded, looking at his guest.

"It's hand to hand fighting – and some staff, or swords. Just sparring, but if you want to take a look, it can be pretty exciting. They're really good."

"Yes."

Clint wasn't surprised.

"I'll see you guys at dinner. Stay out of trouble."

Peter's eyes grew wide with innocence.

"Of _course_."

Barton reached out and cuffed the boy on the back of the head, making him grin.

"I'm beginning to think Tony's right about you having the perfect honest face for hustling."

"Not me. I'm too sweet to hustle anyone."

He headed for the building once more, gesturing for Azoru to join him.

"What did he mean by hustling?" the Jabari youth asked.

"It's when you act like you don't know how to do something, and then wager with someone because they are certain they will win – only to lose because you're a lot better than you pretended to be."

"You have done this?"

"No. But Tony likes to say that I do it – usually when I beat him at chess. He teases me."

"And you allow it?"

"I _live_ for it," Peter admitted. "It's… well, I guess it's just a form of love between us. He acts like he hates that I'm so good at chess, so he complains when I win and accuses me of hustling him. But I know he's really proud of me. He just hides it, sometimes."

"He is not very adept at hiding it, Peter," Azoru said, candidly. "I do not know him well – or _you_, for that matter – but I can see that he is proud of you."

The boy smiled.

"Yeah. I'm lucky to have him. And Pepper. And really, all the _others_ that live here. They all are making me a better person by teaching me whatever they know that I want to learn."

"Yes. I feel like that with the people around me. I am being groomed to be an elder, and have many expectations to live up to. The… what I did to you. I disgraced myself and my tribe with my own arrogance. I hope that you will some day be able to accept my apology and not just my retribution."

Peter shook his head.

"Apologize to me."

The Jabari looked surprised at the command, and then stopped in mid-stride.

"I am truly sorry for what I did."

"I accept your apology, Azoru of the Jabari tribe."

Azoru's breath froze in his lungs, surprised once again to hear the other speaking in his own language instead of English. He smiled; the Jabari language did not allow for any inflection that showed anything other than sincerity, and by responding in his language, Peter was proving to him that he truly was accepting the apology, with no restrictions.

"Thank you, Peter Parker."

"You're welcome. Let's go see who Steve's beating up."

OOOOOO

When they walked into the small area off of the gym that was used for sparring, the two boys found that Steve was, indeed, holding training, and that it was mostly SHIELD agents that he was working with. Peter gestured for Azoru to join his against the wall, out of the way, as a match that was in progress was being finished, with Steve completing a move and then showing the young man he'd just upended how to recognize the move and then how to counter it once he knew it was coming. He ran the man through it several times and then made it, again, and allowed the man to correctly counter it, ending up on his back on the mat for a brief moment.

"Good!"

He jumped to his feet and separated the watching men (and women) into partners to practice what he'd just taught them, and then walked over to Peter and Azoru.

"I thought you two would be _sleeping_."

Peter shook his head.

"Not, yet. Azoru wanted to look around a little, so I'm showing him around. We were told you were training, so we thought we'd sneak a peek."

"You know you're welcomed to watch." Rogers looked at the Jabari. "Both of you. But no sparring for you, today, alright? Not unless Tony says so. I don't want to deal with jet-lagged reflexes."

"Fair enough." He looked at Azoru, who nodded his understanding. "We'll watch, though."


	104. Chapter 104

The walk around the compound – just the two of them – was a good idea, Peter decided as he and Azoru made their way back to the Jabari's quarters when they finished watching Steve's training class. Not only did it give the other young man a chance to learn the lay of the compound and meet some of the others that he would be interacting with during his stay, but it had done something to relax Azoru around Peter. He wasn't quite as formal when Peter delivered him to his room – and that could only be a good thing.

"Dinner's going to be at six," Peter told him at the door. He looked at his watch. "That'll give you a couple of hours to relax."

"There is to be a ceremony?"

"Just a welcome to America party," Peter assured him. "Not formal, like _you're_ used to. You don't need to dress up, or anything. What you're wearing now is fine."

"Here," he started to take off the sweatshirt Peter had loaned him, but the boy stopped him.

"Just keep it. I'll make sure you have a couple more, in case that one isn't to your liking."

"Thank you, Peter."

He smiled.

"You're welcome. Remember, we tend to eat our heavier meal at dinner, so don't be shocked when there's a lot more food offered to you tonight."

"I will bear that in mind."

"Want me to come get you? Or do you want to come on your own?"

"I would appreciate it if you would come, as well."

"I'll be here around six, then."

Peter left so the other boy could have a chance to relax, and headed for his quarters. It was a little tiring being so polite all the time and somewhat on guard to make sure that he didn't say anything that Azoru might see as insulting, or annoying or any other unfriendly gesture. But he had to admit that the guy wasn't really that bad. Peter thought that if the onus of what the Jabari had done to him wasn't there between them, they might actually become friends – or at least comfortable companions.

Of course, he lived all the way over in Wakanda, but so did _Shuri_, and Peter was friends with her, right?

He made it to his rooms and flopped down on the sofa, tiredly.

"Karen? Make sure I'm awake by five thirty, will you?"

_"Yes."_

He closed his eyes and was asleep in moments.

OOOOOOO

"Any word from Romanoff?"

"Not, yet."

"Think she's going to help?"

"She might. It's hard to tell with her. I'll give her a few more days, though. Tony Stark's back in the country and she might be busy catching him up on superhero shit."

"Think we should ask Stark? _He's_ a superhero, right? Probably knows all the other ones."

"All the _Avengers_, Joel, yeah. Some little guy running around Queens in the middle of the night? Not likely. Let me see what Romanoff does."

"Fine. Just don't antagonize her."

"That's why I'm waiting and not _nagging_."

"Let me ask you something, Alex…"

"Yeah?"

"If you were a kid – and this guy is a kid, no doubt about it – and someone owed you, big time – what would you want? Assuming he doesn't want to be on our _payroll_, which I'm going to assume."

He was _fighting_ crimes, after all, not _committing_ them.

"I don't know, Joel. Kids these days? I'd say money. And a _lot_ of it. But if he wanted money, he would have contacted me, right?"

"Yeah." The man sighed, and finished his drink. "Alright. We'll wait a few more days. Keep me informed."

"You know I will."

OOOOOO

The lounge was well populated by the time Peter arrived there with Azoru just after six o'clock. He and his guest were dressed similarly; sweatshirts and jeans, and he was pleased to see that the people attending the welcoming party/dinner had dressed casually, as well. Even Tony was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, as if to make sure they didn't all outshine their visitor.

Stark smiled at the two boys when Peter led Azoru over to the corner table, which had been combined with two others. Shuri, Pepper and Natasha were seated there, talking with Tony, Stephen, Steve and – surprising Peter a little – Wong.

"Did you get some rest?" Tony asked Azoru.

He already knew that Peter had, since he'd had Friday check with Karen to see where Peter was an hour ago.

"I did. Thank you."

"Sit down and join us. Something to drink?"

"Tea, please."

Peter left Azoru in Tony and Pepper's capable hands and went to sit on the other side of the table, between Wong and Shuri, who smiled a greeting at him when he sat down. She was wearing jeans and an Avenger t-shirt that Tony had added to the last package that Peter had sent to her.

"You look better than before," she said. "You must have gotten some sleep."

"Yeah. Did you?"

"Of course. A good princess knows when to steal a moment's rest between ceremonies."

He smiled at that, and looked at Wong.

"Did you bring Nutmeg?"

"He's at the sanctum. Under lock and key."

Shuri laughed.

"Wong has been telling me some of the things your kitten has been doing. Knocking items off of shelves and stealing that which does not belong to him and hiding them elsewhere."

Peter was a little surprised at that – mainly because he assumed that items being impacted were magical ones, and she wasn't aware that the two men were living in a repository of some of the craziest relics and artifacts ever known. As far as he knew, she had been told that the sanctum was a museum, of sorts.

"Wong made him an enclosure," Strange added, having heard the conversation. "It runs the length of the library and all the way to the ceiling."

"Keeps him from the shelves, the bookcases and displays. Still gives him plenty of room to roam around."

"He's escaped four times, already."

Peter smiled.

"But he's _cute_, right?"

"Which is the only reason I put up with him."

"Like some _teenagers_ we know," Natasha said, winking at the boy.

Peter rolled his eyes, amused – and knowing better.

"What did you do with Azoru?" Shuri asked.

"We looked around the compound. Clint was trying out some new arrows, so he had a chance to meet him and try out his bow, and we watched some of the SHIELD guys sparring with Steve. Nothing too exciting."

"We're barbequing tomorrow afternoon," Tony said from the other end of the table. "Happy's bringing Ned in the morning."

"Why don't you guys take Ironpig to Jack's when he gets here?" Pepper suggested, and Peter didn't miss the scowl that Tony couldn't hide at that particular idea. "That way he's safe and out of the way, but Ned gets a chance to meet him, first."

"Tonight, if you get the chance, help Azoru roll a D&D character," Tony added. "I've been working on a new campaign. He can play it with us."

Shuri grinned.

"I brought my things."

"Ned's going to bring his, as well."

"Can _I_ play?" Wong asked.

He hadn't had a chance to try the game, yet, and was always interested in new experiences. Of course.

"The more, the merrier," Stark said, meaning it. "Gives me that many more people to try and kill off."

Peter knew better, though. He was really good at making sure that the campaigns he created were exciting and a good story, but none of them had ever been killed without a way to revive their character at hand. _Everyone_ won when Tony was guiding their play.

"I'll help him make a character before we come, tomorrow," Stephen assured them.

Clint and Steve arrived, then, and greeted everyone, taking seats around the table.

"Where's Bruce?" Peter asked, curiously.

"Switzerland," Natasha answered. "He's talking to someone about a project that they're working on."

"He's going to be gone all week," Clint said, grinning. "So make sure you have a great time, and tell him all about it when he gets back."

"That is mean," Shuri chided, smiling.

"Yeah."

He didn't look contrite.

"Let's eat," Tony said. "Everyone hungry?"

They could chat, later. They had all night.


	105. Chapter 105

There was very little ceremony, Azoru found, feeling a little astounded at just how casual everything was here, in Peter's home. When they were all done eating their meal, Tony Stark had stood up and put his fingers in his mouth and whistled, loudly, to get the attention of everyone in the room; those who were at their table, and all of the others, as well. Once he had their attention, he had Azoru stand beside him, and put a fatherly hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Hey, everyone. This is Azoru. We found him in Wakanda while Pepper and I were on honeymoon and we're thinking about _keeping_ him. So we brought him home for a test trial. He speaks English better than I do, so don't be afraid to introduce yourself, but remember he's a long way from home and isn't used to any of us – if you find him lost in the corridors just make sure he's okay and try not to scare him away. Got it?"

There were a lot of smiles and several greetings, and Tony turned him loose. And that was _it_. No mention of what he had done to Peter, or why he had been forced to come to the United States. No condemnation to share with the others. Simply a joke (at least the Jabari _assumed_ it was a joke, he would confirm with Shuri, later) about thinking about keeping him.

It wasn't like back home. He realized that while some of those assembled _did_ know what he had done, Tony didn't intend for the others to know as well. He would not walk the hallways with fear of people wanting retribution for doing harm to someone he had already found was very popular with the people at the compound.

The Jabari youth found himself surrounded by people who were all friendly, and all wiling to be friends.

"Do you think that I should go rescue him?" Shuri as Peter, watching as Azoru was suddenly the center of a large group of people.

"He's _fine_," Peter assured her. "Pepper's there."

She was hovering right at the noble's shoulder, ready to run interference for him, or help him with anything that he might need. Pepper was a natural mother, Peter recognized – not for the first time – and he smiled to find her assuming the role so easily. Even as he felt just a _tiniest_ pang of jealousy that he was pretty sure was the toddler making his own feelings clear about someone else being the center of momma's attentions.

"Hey Peter Pony," Clint said, coming up behind him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "We opened up those wooden carvings and have them on display in the gym for everyone to look at. Tell me you're going to let me have one? Laura would love it."

Peter nodded, smiling when Strange, Wong and Natasha all joined him and Shuri.

"Figure out which one she wants and it's yours," he said. "We'll put a post-it note with your name on the back of it. I'd like everyone to see them, though, before you guys start taking the one you want." He looked at Strange and Wong. "Same with you guys, of course. A wood carving – or two, if you want – and a rug, if they're out."

"And the _spear_," Romanoff reminded him, sliding her hand around him, pleased to have some down time with her little spider guy. "The sanctum gets one and _I_ get one. Don't forget."

"Of course not."

"Maybe we'll go down and look and stake our claim before the others have a chance to do so," Stephen said, casually. "I'd like to see them all, at any rate."

"The Jabari wood carvers are the finest in my country," Shuri told them. "You will not be disappointed."

"Coming?" Strange asked Natasha.

"No. I'm going to spend some time with Peter." She hugged him, tightly, kissing him soundly, much to the boy's amusement. "He's been gone too long."

Shuri smiled.

"I will accompany you, Dr. Strange. If I may? I am curious what they sent."

"Of course, your highness." He offered the girl his arm, which made her smile.

"Make sure Ironpig has food and water, will you?" Peter asked.

Strange nodded, and they left, with Wong and Clint both following.

"So, how are you getting along with him?" Natasha asked Peter, a subtle gesture with her head making it clear who she meant – although Peter would have figured it out, easily enough.

"We're fine," Peter said. "He apologized to me for what he did, and I accepted his apology."

She scowled. Which made him smile, well aware that she didn't forgive quite as easily as he did.

"Any indications that he's going to be sticking his nose where it shouldn't be? Or wandering off?"

"No. He's a lot less annoying than _I_ am, that way." Peter hugged her, resting his cheek on her collarbone for just a moment, glad to be home and once more with her and the others. But mostly her. "Be nice to him, please? I like him."

"Fine." She shrugged. "I thought I'd go get Ned in the morning, and save Tony the trouble of waking up early tomorrow. Want to come with me?"

"Yeah. Thanks." It would give him just a little more time to have her to himself. Peter wondered if that particular thought came from the _toddler_, too, or if he was just more possessive than he'd realized. "Want to take the _Pontiac_?"

Her Corvette wouldn't fit all three of them, after all. She nodded.

"Absolutely. Come on, we'll go tell Tony, so he doesn't freak out if he wakes up and finds you gone."

Stark was leaning against the bar, holding a drink and talking to Steve when they walked up to him.

"Stephen went to get first pick of carvings?" he asked as they approached, proving that he watched everything that was going on around him, all the time.

Especially since the doctor had been standing near Peter before he left.

Peter nodded.

"So did Clint."

"I'll be interested in seeing them," Stark said. "The ones we saw in the village were pretty impressive."

"Yeah."

"I'm going to go collect Ned in the morning," Natasha told him. "I invited Peter to come. So don't come looking for him too early, alright?"

He nodded. Romanoff was always a good choice for companion when Peter was off the compound grounds – without Tony, at least.

"Are you going to take the Pontiac?"

Peter nodded.

"Can't let it sit around, right?" he asked with a grin. "It did enough of that, already."

Tony echoed his smile before turning back to Natasha.

"What are we looking at for a timeline?"

"We'll leave here about 6 o'clock. Get Ned and be back some time around 8 or 8:30."

"Sounds good. We'll figure breakfast at nine, then. Call Ned and remind him to bring his D&D stuff – and some of his mother's rolls, if she's made any."

Peter nodded.

"I know she's making some; he told me that she was."

"Good. A pan for everyone to share – and a pan for _me_. Tell him that."

The boy rolled his eyes.

"So then the rest of the plan for tomorrow? We'll take Ironpig to Jack's after breakfast – in the _Pontiac_ – and then we'll come home for barbeque, goof around and then D&D tomorrow night?"

"Straight to the farm and back," Tony told him. "No matter who wants to stop for anything else. Deal?"

"Yeah. I'll take care of them."

"I know, son." He looked at Natasha and Steve. "Any concerns?"

Both of them shook their heads.

"We've already gone over the rules with Azoru – and Ned and Shuri know them front and back. A simple reminder before they leave, in the morning is probably all that's needed," Steve answered for both of them.

"Alright. You're going to help him roll a character?"

Peter nodded.

"If he's not too tired when this is all done, I'll help him, tonight. If he wants to wait, Ned and I can both help him, tomorrow. Either way."

"Sounds good." He looked at Natasha, his eyes amused. "Is your boyfriend coming to barbeque with us?"

"He and Wong, both."

"Good."

It was always fun to watch the doctor trying to determine if there were any bugs crawling across his plate at any time during the meal.


	106. Chapter 106

One of the first truisms that Peter had ever learned living at the Avengers compound was that plans can change immediately, without notice. He knew it was true, too; he'd seen it happen plenty – even with a group of people as well organized as the Avengers were. The latest example of that was when he found himself going to pick up Ned the next morning with Natasha in the Pontiac and Azoru sitting in the back seat, watching the scenery pass with interest as they drove.

Natasha had roused him from his bed, bright and early the next morning. Peter had been having a pretty good dream about flying with Tony, Ironman using thrusters, and Peter in his suit tagged to him by a line of webbing that was keeping him attached while they went ridiculously fast. It was one of his favorite memories and he wasn't surprised that it came up in his subconscious enough to make it a common dream, as well. Suddenly Natasha was in his room, wrapping her arms around him, playfully and pulling him out of bed before he could protest that he was sleepy.

"Come on, handsome," she told him, cheerfully. "Let's go find another nerd to add to our nerd herd."

Peter grinned.

"_Nerd herd?"_

"Sure."

"You realize your _boyfriend_ is in that herd, too, right?"

"Yup."

He shook his head and headed for the bathroom, while Romanoff opened his fridge, looking to see if he had anything worth snacking on during their drive, and glancing out the bedroom window as he did. When Peter came out, now dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, she made a gesture with her head, silently telling him to come look. He did, assuming it would be deer that she was watching. There were deer; a small herd that normally made good use of the lush grass in the field many mornings, but was surprised to see that Azoru was out in the field, too, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, holding perfectly still while _he_ watched them grazing.

"Think we should invite him to come with us?" Romanoff asked.

"That's what a good host would do, right?"

She smirked, and they headed out of his quarters and to the field, where they found him still standing, quietly. The deer were used to people being out in the field – Peter, for one, would come out and watch them, occasionally – so they didn't immediately run when the young Jabari was joined by the other two.

"They would be easy prey," Azori told Peter and Natasha, still looking at the deer.

"We don't allow hunting, here," Romanoff explained. "So they know they don't have to run away."

"We're going into the city to get my friend Ned," Peter told him. "Would you like to come with us?"

"May I? I was told not to leave without permission."

"Tony won't care," Natasha assured him. "We'll leave a message letting him know. Come on. You'll be able to see the city, this way."

They didn't have any plans for the Wakandans to go into the city during their visit, so it might be good for him. Besides, leaving him standing alone in the field wasn't very friendly.

"Thank you."

The Jabari didn't know a lot about cars, of course, but Azoru was intelligent and observant and he could see how Peter treated the vehicle that they led him to. They made sure he was buckled in – and explained that it was a law that he _remained_ buckled in while in the car – and then Peter got behind the wheel and Natasha sat next to him and they left the compound. She turned around in her seat, though, to check on him as they left the service road and joined the highway.

"Are you hungry, at all? We're going to eat when we get back, but it's a bit of a drive."

"I am fine, thank you."

"Did you guys get his character rolled last night?" she asked both boys.

Peter grinned, glancing over at her and then at Azoru in the rear view mirror.

"We _did_. Tell her what you decided on."

"I will be a human fighter."

Romanoff smirked.

"That's _original_."

"Hey, it took forever to explain the whole concept of the game to him," Peter said, smiling at the Jabari to soften the criticism. "So we went for the basics."

"What alignment?"

"Lawful good."

"I almost had him convinced to be a Paladin but then he found that they were able to cast spells, and he didn't want to do that."

"I did not want to be shaman."

"Your shaman can still _fight_, though, right?" Natasha asked, curiously. "I mean, back home?"

"Yes. But they are not required to."

That started the two of them off on a long discussion about his home and the various kinds of people and crafts each village and city held. Peter didn't join the conversation, allowing the two of them to carry it as they drove, but he listened and was pleased that the two were getting more relaxed with each other.

They pulled over at a gas station just outside the city and he and Natasha traded places. When he saw the other boy's curious look, Peter shrugged.

"I'm not old enough to drive in the city, yet," he explained.

"So I get to drive Peter's pretty car," Romanoff said, buckling up.

"It is very nice," Azoru said.

He had seen many other cars on the roads around them but while many of them looked very similar, none had looked like the one that he was riding in.

"Thanks."

OOOOOOOO

Ned was waiting for them at the doorway of the apartment building, hands filled with two boxes and a bag at his feet. Peter got out of the car and took the boxes from him, and introduced him to Azoru. Ned, of course, knew exactly who the Jabari was, and why he was visiting, but Peter had reminded him that they weren't rubbing his nose in it. It was a toss up between who Ned was more pleased to see; the Jabari youth, or Natasha – and he was always up for a ride in the Pontiac.

He buckled himself in and Peter handed the boxes back to him before tossing Ned's bag into the trunk.

"Your mom made cinnamon rolls?" Romanoff asked, easily able to smell them.

"Yeah. Want one?"

"I can't right now. Too messy."

She wouldn't dream of getting frosting on the steering wheel.

Ned turned to Azoru.

"So, how old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"What grade?"

"What?"

"He's out of school, Ned," Peter explained.

Peter had warned Azoru that Ned was going to throw questions at him rapid-fire. His friend was always asking questions, always wanted to know about the people and the things around him, and he wanted to make sure the Jabari didn't get offended by that. He encouraged him to respond with questions of his own, and assured him Ned wouldn't mind.

"Cool. Got a girl friend?"

"No. You?"

"I'm still playing the field," Ned told him, trying to act cool. "Got any _sisters_?"

Natasha snorted, but Azoru didn't understand the joke, and took the question at face value.

"Four. You?"

"One. What do you do for fun?"

"Dance and tell stories. You?"

"Video games. Want a cinnamon roll?"

He opened the top box in his lap, showing the boy a neatly packaged container of the sweet, sticky treats, and Azori frowned, obviously surprised by the change of topic. He'd actually almost been enjoying the questions. He looked at Peter, who shrugged.

"They're good. But try not to get anything on the leather seats."

"I will wait. Thank you."

"We were discussing the campaign tonight," Peter said to Ned. "I helped him roll a human fighter so he can play with us. Tell him about some of your characters, Ned."

And that was all it took, of course. The ride back to the compound was filled with stories of Ned's characters, yes, but also some of the campaigns that they'd played – most recently with Tony as the dungeon master – and neither boy in the back seemed to even notice when they stopped outside the city to change drivers once more.

Natasha shook her head while they were passing each other in front of the car and she handed him his keys.

"Yep. Another _nerd_ for our herd."


	107. Chapter 107

When they arrived at the compound, Peter and Ned separated from Natasha and Azoru so they could get Ned situated in his VIP room. Since it was close to breakfast, the assassin and the Jabari headed to the lounge taking the boxes of cinnamon rolls with them.

"He doesn't seem like such a shit," Ned said, grudgingly, as they walked down the corridor. "I expected him to be a lot worse."

"No. He isn't. I think he just got a little ticked off, having me there and just made a mistake. It snowballed on him, though, and got way out of hand."

"Yeah. _Maybe_. So he's an adult in Wakanda?"

"Yeah. Technically, _we_ would be, too. Old enough to be responsible for our actions, anyway – and to get married."

"Ugh."

Peter grinned at that, and mentioned how Shuri's mom had messed with all by pointing out what a good match she and Peter would be, and Ned smiled, but he shrugged.

"She isn't _wrong_, though. I mean, we don't have royalty here, so you have to go by popularity and money, I suppose. Mr. Stark has both going for him, and now you're his _son_. It'd be even crazier if the public knew what you could do. Then _you'd_ be classified a superhero, too. Besides, Shuri is cute, and she's smart. You guys would make some adorably brilliant babies."

"You're not helping, Ned."

His friend grinned.

"Just telling it like I see it." He hesitated. "You _can_ have kids, right? I mean… the spider thing hasn't messed you up, that way?"

"What?" Peter made a face. "There's all kinds of _baby_ spiders out there…"

"Yeah, I know. I was just… it was something I was thinking about one day. Where's the pig?"

Peter smiled.

"We made a place for him in the gym. You can see it after we eat."

"You guys should just _keep_ him. Pigs make good pets, I heard."

"We've got Jack, and Nutmeg. Who'd have time for a pig?"

"Just saying…"

They dumped Ned's bag in his room and were heading for the door when Peter's watch alerted him.

"Hey, dad…"

Ned grinned, excited. It was the first time that he'd heard Peter call him that in such a casual fashion. He'd said it once at the wedding reception, but the wedding day had been crazy.

"_Where are you guys?"_

"Just leaving Ned's room."

"_We're waiting on you. Don't dawdle or we're going to eat everything and you and Ned will be forced to starve until lunch."_

"He _knows_ you have a fridge in your room, right?" Ned said, shaking his head, amused at the lame threat. "I mean, _he_ put it there."

"We're on our way."

"Okay."

They reached the lounge and found that everyone was, in fact, there. Including Ironpig, who was being cradled in Tony's arms. Ned greeted everyone, and then cooed over the pig, while Peter rolled his eyes and found an empty spot beside Shuri, who was munching on one of the rolls Ned's mother had sent along.

"You should have woke me," she said, nudging him with her elbow since her hands were sticky with frosting. "I would have gone with you this morning."

"You snooze you lose," Ned told her, having managed to wheedle Ironpig from Tony's arms and was now holding him. "Early bird gets the worm and all that."

She rolled her eyes.

"Just for that, I call shotgun on the way to the farm."

"What? You can't call shotgun. We're not _going_, yet. Right, Peter?"

"Early bird gets the front seat," Shuri retorted.

She looked at Peter, who had reached for a roll and was now looking at them both. He shook his head.

"Oh, no. I'm not getting in the middle of _this_ one. All I know is I'm _driving_, and if you two can't decide like grown ups, I'll have Azoru ride shotgun and you can sit in the back with the pig."

"Well said, sweetheart," Pepper told him with a smile. "Ned, put down the pig and eat breakfast."

"_There's_ something you don't hear every day," Natasha said to Azoru, who smiled, amused.

"Not even in Wakanda," he told her, proving that the drive had done a lot to relax him around Romanoff, Peter and Ned.

"How long will you be at Jack's?" Tony asked, reaching for one of the cinnamon rolls, and gesturing to the waitstaff to start serving the meal.

"A couple of hours," Peter said. "I'll see if he'll show Azoru the farm, so he can say that he saw one while he was here. Then we'll come straight back."

"We'll start barbequing around noon, but it'll run all afternoon, I imagine."

"We're going to be playing football?" Ned asked, putting Ironpig into the carrier, much to the piglet's annoyance.

"Yes. You guys are responsible for making sure Azoru has a good time, so make sure you teach him how to play – at least for a little while. You'll be ready for some activity after the drive."

"Jack knows you're coming, right?" Natasha asked.

Pepper was the one who nodded.

"I called them last night."

"Everyone ready for the campaign tonight?" Tony asked, changing the subject. "Ned? You brought your things?"

"Yeah." There was a pause while they were served large bowls of scrambled eggs, platters of pancakes, sausages and hash browns. "I brought my halfling thief and an ogre. If we need them both I can play two, but if there's an even party, I'll just play whichever fits best."

"We'll have a good turnout," Stark replied. "But bring both character sheets – just in case. Wong and Azoru are both new, so we'll want a healthy sized party to protect their little guys."

Ned nodded, looking at Pepper and then Natasha.

"Are you guys playing?"

"I am," Pepper said. "It'll be fun."

Besides, everyone _else_ was going to be playing and she didn't want to be left out. Natasha nodded. She didn't want to admit it, but she rather enjoyed it. Although the randomness of having life and death decided by a roll of a die wasn't as exciting for her as it was for the others.

OOOOOO

The Pontiac was gleaming in the sun, and the top was down. The boys were in the backseat with the carrier holding the unhappy piglet in between them, and Shuri was sitting in the passenger seat, a smug smile on her face. Tony had pulled Peter aside before the boy had a chance to join his friends, but he'd expected it, so he hadn't been in a hurry.

"You're not tired?"

He knew Peter had been up early.

"No. I'm fine. Really. I wouldn't risk them if I was sleepy."

"I know. Need anything?"

"Goodbye hug and for you to tell me to be careful."

Stark smiled, and hugged his son, kissing his ear, but hiding the affectionate gesture my telling him to be careful.

"Don't stop for hitch-hikers and make sure no one falls out, okay? I don't want the Wakandan army after us for losing one of their favorites – and I definitely don't want Ned's mom coming to look for me."

Peter nodded.

"We'll be careful. What are you going to do?"

"Pepper and I are going to look through the wood carvings in the gym with Stephen and Steve. From what Stephen says, some of them are amazing."

"Shuri said they all are."

"Yeah, well, what Stephen likes and what I like are probably way off the mark from each other, so his amazing might be different than mine. I'll put our name on the one Pepper decides is going in our quarters."

"Okay."

"Have a good time." He walked back to the car with the boy and smiled at the others. "Got everything?"

They all nodded.

"I don't have to tell you that Peter's in charge, right?" Tony asked. "He supersedes Princess, noble and guy in the chair…"

The teens all nodded, again – even though the guy in the chair reference made Peter and Ned grin but was lost on the other two.

"We will be fine," Shuri assured him.

Peter got behind the wheel and started the car.

"We'll be back before Stephen comes," he told Tony.

"See that you are. Wong's going to bring Nutmeg."

"I thought they were keeping him until Azoru and Shuri go home?"

"They are, but they're not going to leave him alone in the sanctum, anymore. Apparently he escaped the cage Wong built for him and when they returned last night he'd torn three scrolls and a book into pieces. Wong was up half the night repairing them."

"Wow."

Tony shrugged.

"He's a _baby_. We'll work on him once we get him home, permanently. How much trouble can he really be?"

"Aren't you the one who told me never to say something like that?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Forget I said that. Have fun."

The car drove off, and he turned and went inside. Maybe he'd go see about making a kitten enclosure, too. Just to make sure.


	108. Chapter 108

It was a lovely day for a drive, even if Azoru had no idea where they were going. With the top down, it was a bit harder for Peter to explain to the Jabari who Jack and Gina Lee were, so he asked Ned to explain the story since he was close enough to be heard. Shuri leaned back in her seat, just enjoying a freedom that she very rarely had, her hand out the side of the car playing with the air pressure in the slipstream that they went through.

The boy smiled, watching her as he drove and glad that she was having fun. In the rearview mirror he saw Ned pull out his phone and realized that he was showing Azoru the video that Peter's parents had made for him when he was a baby. The two were sharing Ned's ear buds, so Peter knew he was going to be able to hear the messages his parents had left. He smiled, because _he_ knew the entire video by heart and it always made him smile to think of them.

Especially when he was behind the wheel of his father's car.

"What are you thinking about?" Shuri asked him, making him realize that he was still smiling.

"Just thinking about the video my folks left me," he admitted. "How little I remember about them – and that I wouldn't know much at all if they hadn't thought to make it."

"It's an _awesome_ video, Peter," Ned said from the back, proving that the two passengers in the rear had been able to hear him, as well.

Of course, with the top down, that wasn't a surprise, since Peter had needed to speak up.

"Yes," Shuri agreed. "It is."

_She_ had a copy, as well, of course, and had watched it many times.

He just smiled and nodded his agreement.

OOOOOO

They pulled up to the neat farmhouse and were immediately met by Spot, who barked happily and came around to Peter's side of the car. Peter grinned and hopped out of the car, simply going over the door instead of opening it, to avoid having the big dog jump on the car and maybe mar the paint job. He rubbed Spot's ears, crooning cheerfully to him, while the others got out of the car. At the same time, the front door to the farmhouse was opening, and Jack Lee came out, grinning broadly.

"Peter! You look great, my boy."

"Thanks, Jack." He let Spot go and took the man's hand, but then found himself engulfed in a hug, like he usually did. He didn't mind; he knew that he reminded Jack of Peter's dad, and was basically a living link to him. _He_ had the car. Jack had _him_. "You remember Ned?"

Lee shook Ned's hand and looked at the other two.

"Pepper told me you had friends visiting from out of the country."

"Yeah. This is Shuri, and Azoru. They're from Wakanda – it's in Africa."

He smiled warmly at Shuri, and offered Azoru his hand to shake it.

"Come on inside. Gina has tea and lemonade and baked a cake."

Ned grabbed the carrier from the back seat and they all followed Jack and Spot into the farmhouse. Once inside the older man introduced his wife Gina to the Wakandans and she offered them refreshments, which Peter hoped that the Jabari would understand was about as formal a greeting as they were going to get in the states.

They made small talk in the living room for a while; Peter catching up on anything new with Jack and Gina, and the two adults hearing as much about Wakanda as they could learn in the short time they had. Peter didn't mention the retribution or any of that, but he _did_ tell them about visiting the Jabari village and how he'd rescued Ironpig from being sacrificed for a meal. Which had made both of the Lees smile.

"Bring him out," Jack said to Ned, calling Spot away from the carrier, where he'd been sticking his nose, curiously, since Ned had set it on the floor by the chair he was sitting in. "Let's take a look at him."

Ned pulled the pig out and handed him to the retired Marine, who frowned once he'd examined him, carefully.

"I have to tell you, Peter. We're not really set up to take care of a little guy like this. From what Pepper told me, I had assumed that we were looking at something a little bigger – a little older. A baby like this guy isn't really safe on a farm like ours without his mother around to protect him."

"Oh…"

Jack smiled.

"You tell Pepper that if _she_ keeps him – until he's a little _bigger_ – we'll be happy to take him, then. That way he doesn't end up as a midnight snack for a hungry owl, or a coyote."

Gina frowned at her husband.

"I thought when _Tony_ called this morning he said that he wanted to keep the piglet until he-"

"_Hush_, woman," Jack interrupted, rolling his eyes at Peter, who grinned, suddenly, realizing what was going on. "She doesn't know what she's _talking_ about, kids. Tony Stark most certainly _did not_ call this morning. Not for any reason and definitely not to tell us to say we couldn't take the pig until he's older."

"So… you'll _take_ him," Peter clarified. "But I need to let Pepper know that _we_ have to keep him until he's big enough to be able to be safe out here?"

"Exactly. A baby like him… he needs constant tending. We're not set up for that."

Peter smiled, well aware that they were constantly finding and nursing animals back to health on their little farm.

"Okay. How long should I tell her we'll have to keep him?"

"A few months…?" Jack asked, looking at Gina, who nodded. "Yes. A few months. Then we'll make sure he has a good home, all the affection and attention he can handle."

"Tony's going to be so annoyed," Ned said, slyly. "I know he was hoping to get rid of the pig. It was all he was talking about, last night."

"Can't be helped. He wouldn't want the pig to be in an unsafe environment. I imagine Pepper will have to agree…"

"Yeah," Peter said, smiling. "I'll make sure to explain to her why we need to keep him."

"You do that. Sorry to have you come all this way for nothing."

"Not for _nothing_," Peter told them, sincerely. "It's always fun to see you guys. And _Spot_, of course," he added, rubbing the dog's ears before it went over to sniff Ned and Azoru. "Besides, I was hoping you wouldn't mind showing Shuri and Azoru your farm? They aren't going to have a lot of time here, and it might be interesting."

"Of course." The older man stood up, beckoning to them. "Come on, we have a couple of young horses you might want to look at – and a rescue group just asked us to foster a baby donkey."

Shuri looked at Peter as the other three stood up to follow and he didn't.

"You are not coming?"

He shook his head.

"I can't go near the barn or I'll have watery eyes the rest of the day. Go on ahead, I'll keep Gina company and take care of getting Ironpig back into the carrier."

They nodded and left, and Jack's wife smiled.

"He already named him?"

"Yeah. _Ironpig_."

"A lot to live up to for one scrawny little piglet."

Peter nodded.

"I don't suppose Tony mentioned when he _didn't_ call this morning, just how _I'm_ supposed to convince Pepper to let Tony keep him?"

"Sorry. I wasn't privy to that part of the conversation," she admitted. She took the piglet from Peter and cooed him, rubbing his face. "I can't wait to get him, though. I was telling Jack that pigs are smart enough to be more than just breakfast, so now I'll be able to _prove_ it to him."

"If you can get him away from Tony."

"If I can't then you make sure to tell him he'll owe me a piglet."

"I'll do that, Gina," Peter promised, reaching for another piece of the cake that she'd made for them. "Thanks."


	109. Chapter 109

Tony walked into the main living room area of their quarters, saw Pepper sitting at the bar, her tablet in front of her and a glass of tea next to her hand. Smiling, he moved over and slid his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Hello, _wife_… what are you reading?"

She smiled, her hand coming up to palm the cheek that wasn't pressing against her own.

"Some reports. What are you doing?"

"The kids are almost back, so I'm going to go meet them. Want to come?"

"Are they alright?"

"Yes. Far as I know."

"Nothing happened?"

"There and back, Peter said."

"Do you think we should make a big deal out of them managing to take Ironpig to the farm and return home safely? It's probably not going to show a lot of faith in Peter, is it?"

"You didn't _miss_ him?"

She rolled her eyes, wondering why he wanted her to go meet the kids with him, and then mentally shrugged. It didn't matter, she supposed; she always enjoyed the pleased look on Peter's face when he was driving the Pontiac. Besides, he met her when she came home from the tower as often as he could. Fair was fair.

"Of course I missed him." She turned the tablet off. "Let's go see how the kids liked the farm."

Tony grinned and offered her his arm and they headed for the garage.

OOOOOOO

"Have you figured out what you're going to tell _Pepper_?" Ned asked.

Peter shook his head.

"I'll wing it."

"She is not going to fall for anything," Shuri pointed out from the back seat, where she and Azori were sitting with the pet carrier between them, the piglet inside but quiet. "She is too smart to be fooled by Tony."

Or _Peter_.

"Nah," Peter agreed completely. "He probably knows he's not going to fool her. But he lives by the whole _possession is 9/10th of the law_ thing."

"Which means?" Azoru asked, uncertainly.

Ned turned to look at him.

"It means that once he has the pig back home with _any_ kind of excuse to keep him, it'll just be easier to keep him."

Peter nodded.

"She would allow that?" The Jabari noble asked.

"It wouldn't be the _weirdest_ thing he's done," Peter replied with a shrug as they pulled off the service road in into the Avenger compound.

He always loved this part of the drive; when the compound was ahead of him, looming fierce and formidable to most people, but home to him. He wondered if the others that lived there felt the same way, or if he was just more sensitive to it because it was so new to him, still. There were several cars parked outside in the parking area, but the garage opened, responding automatically to the presence of the sensor installed under the hood of Peter's car. He heard Shuri snort in amusement at the same time he saw that Tony and Pepper were both standing near the sedan, clearly waiting for them.

"This will be amusing."

"No giving it away," Ned reminded them, as Peter came to a stop with a smile and just left the top down on the car for now.

"How was the farm?" Tony asked, his eyes going from Peter and Ned, to the two Wakandans in the back and then settling for just a moment of the pet carrier between them, a smug look in his expression. "Everything good?"

"Yeah." Peter got out of the car, smiling at Pepper, who had positioned herself to be in the right spot for a casual hug, and took advantage of it. "Everyone's doing well. Jack and Gina say hi. We do have a _bit_ of a problem, though," he said when he pulled away from her.

She frowned.

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

Ned reached into the back seat, taking the carrier from Azoru, who handed it up to him, the piglet inside making a soft squealing noise in protest at the motion.

"Jack didn't take Ironpig," Ned told her.

She frowned, looking from the carrier to Peter.

"Why _not_?"

"Said he was too little, yet, to be safe on their farm. He said when he was a little bigger, and safer from predators they'd take him, but right now, they couldn't promise he'd be okay."

"I _told_ him that he was a piglet on the phone," she said, frowning. "He knew that-"

"It's no big _deal_, Pep," Tony cut in, smoothly, opening the carrier Ned was holding, and pulling out the piglet, and cradling him in his arms. "_We_ can keep him for a while. Take care of him until he's a little bigger. _Then_ he can go to the farm. When it's safer for him."

She looked at Tony. And then looked at Peter.

"Did Jack have any suggestions for how long we should keep him?" she asked.

"A few months," Shuri said.

"A few… We can't have a _pig_, Tony."

"Why not?" he looked down at the piglet in his arms, tucking him under one so he could scratch its chin with his free hand. The piglet's eyes closed in bliss. "We'll set him up in something more permanent in the gym, so he has a place at night, and he can wander free inside during the day – like _Nutmeg_ will be. You won't even notice he's _there_."

She gave him a look that clearly said she wasn't impressed – or fooled.

"_Tony…"_

"He's a _baby_, Pep," the billionaire pointed out. "Are you going to put him out on the street? We took _Peter_… and Ironpig doesn't eat anything close to what a _teenaged boy_ does."

Peter smiled, amused, and quickly schooled his expression when she looked at him. He shrugged, giving her a _what can you do_ shrug. The other three teens were simply quiet, watching first Tony, and then Pepper, and then Tony again. Now they were looking at Pepper. Who rolled her eyes.

"Fine. He can _stay_. But the first time I wake up with him in bed with me, he's sleeping on the couch and you're in the _doghouse_."

Tony smiled, but was very careful to keep the smugness that he had to be feeling out of his expression – he wasn't dumb, after all.

"Yes, dear. You won't even know he's here."

"I doubt that." She looked at the kids, again. "They're starting to set up the barbeque, if you're interested in helping – or watching. I'll see you all there."

She left and Tony handed the piglet to Peter.

"Hold him for a second…" he fished in his pocket and pulled out a collar, which he snapped around Ironpig's neck. Peter saw that it had a small box on it, barely noticeable, and an identification tag with the name _IRONPIG_ and the Avenger's A, with Tony's cell phone number under it. "There…"

"What's the box for?" Peter asked, curiously, as Tony took the pig back.

"It's something I'm whipping up for Nutmeg," he explained. "To make sure he doesn't leave the compound when he comes home for good. I'll explain it, later."

"And you just _happened_ to have a collar ready for the pig you were giving away?" Shuri asked. "That is _most_ convenient."

He shrugged.

"Something you need to learn about us superheroes, Shuri; we try to always be prepared."

"I thought that was the _Boy Scouts_," Ned pointed out.

Stark frowned.

"Go find something to do, guys."

Peter smirked and the four of them watched as Tony carried his pig off.

"Want to go look and see what's going on?"

They all agreed and headed for the corridor that led to the exit closest to the field where they always barbequed. Peter was explaining to Azoru that they'd help get things set up, if needed, and was pointing out what different activities there would be. They opened the door to go out into the bright sunshine and Peter barely had time to register that the grills were just starting to get fired up and a couple of people were setting up the volleyball net when he found himself engulfed from the waist down in an enthusiastic hug.

"Peter!"

He grinned, reaching down and sweeping Clint's daughter up into his arms, easily.

"Hey, Lila. How's my _favorite girl?"_

She smiled, hugging him close and putting her head on his shoulder.

"Good."

Shuri looked at Ned.

"I thought Pepper was his favorite girl?"

"I thought it was _Natasha_," Ned said.

"Ned told me about _MJ_…" Azoru added, seeing the humor and proving he had a sense of humor, as well.

The time spent with people his age in a much less than formal setting had relaxed him, nicely. Peter shook his head.

"Nope, it's Lila, here. Cutest girl in the world and a daddy who will keep all the other guys at arrow range, right honey?"

She smiled.

"Yup."


	110. Chapter 110

It was a little harder to help with barbeque preparations with 60 pounds of little girl clinging to Peter at every chance she had, but the boy was up to the task. She didn't _weigh_ anything to him, really – he could lift buildings, after all and she wasn't so big – but buildings didn't hold onto your neck and chatter incessantly in your ear the way Clint's daughter did. Luckily, she was also a sweet-tempered child, and she and Peter got along very well. He simply rested her bottom on his forearm and let her hold herself upright as he walked with Ned and the Wakandans to the grill, first.

Steve smiled at their approach, amused at the way Lila crushed on Peter and never bothering to hide it.

"How was the farm?" he asked.

"I didn't look around too much," Peter reminded him. "We still have Ironpig, though."

"Oh?"

"Jack says he's too little to be on his own at the farm, so we'll keep him here until he's a little bigger."

"You got a _pig_?" Lila asked.

"_Tony_ did. He's just a baby."

"Where is he?"

"Tony has him. Want me to find out where he is so you can go meet him?"

She hesitated.

"You'll be all right if I leave you?"

"For a little while."

The little girl grinned, and then nodded.

"Okay."

Luckily, the arm holding Lila wasn't the one with Peter's watch on. He held up his wrist and let her press the button, smiling at how excited it made her, and knowing that there was a time when _he_ would have been just as excited.

"_Yeah, son?"_

Peter looked at the little girl, telling her to talk.

"Hi, Tony!"

"_Peter, your voice is soooo much more girlie than it was earlier…"_ The tone of his voice made it clear that he was well aware of what was going on.

"It's me, Lila!"

She was screaming, but none of them minded.

"_Lila, who?"_

"Lila Barton!"

"_Did you kidnap Peter?"_

"No! Can I come see your _pig_?"

"What pig?"

Peter whispered in her ear, and her eyes got big.

"Really?" she whispered.

He nodded.

"Yup."

"Ironpig!"

"_Oh. _That_ pig. I think he'd like to meet you. I'm in the gym. Come find us."_

"Okay!"

Peter let her down and she hurried off.

"Well, you're not as interesting as a _pig_," Rogers told the boy. "That's probably something you'll need to know later on."

"Yeah. Where's Jack?"

The half-grown lab puppy was usually as close to Steve – and the barbeque – as he could be, well aware that his doleful eyes could always get him a trimming of some cut of meat. Or a hotdog.

"Clint brought Nick Furry with them. He took both dogs out for a run through the woods to burn some energy and keep them out from underfoot."

Of course, they were puppies, so they were going to be underfoot.

"Clint's dog is named Nick Furry?" Shuri asked, amused.

Steve wasn't the only one to nod.

"Yup. That's why we love it when they come and bring him to barbeques." Not to mention it was just fun having the dogs around. "Peter? You and Ned start bringing out chairs and setting up tables, will you? Shuri? You can help the guys. I'll keep Azoru and see if he has anything to add to my cooking techniques."

Peter didn't argue, being more than willing to help set up tables. Ned, of course was just as willing, and for pretty much the same reason. They were both happy to be where they were, and with the people they were with – and if that meant helping by carrying tables and chairs, then that was fine. Shuri wasn't as good at helping set them up – or carry them. Just as willing, though, but she would always need one of the guys to carry the other end of the table (_Ned_ did, too, but Peter could lug them by himself) and could only carry a few chairs at a time.

While they were setting up chairs Clint arrived with the two dogs, who immediately found Steve to start beginning for scraps, and the archer had started out helping with the chairs and ended up wrestling with Peter in the grass right near the entrance to the compound.

"Do you two just have aggressive tendencies that need an outlet?" a refined voice said just as Peter had rolled onto his stomach and was getting ready to flip Clint off his back.

Both of them looked up and saw that Strange had walked out of the entrance, with Wong beside him. Both magicians were looking down at them, dressed in casual clothing – for them – and Wong had a carrier in his right hand with Nutmeg standing right up against the wire door, mewing.

Clint grinned.

"Gotta keep Peter Pony from getting too full of himself."

"You _realize_ if I pull a muscle or something, you're going to have to put all these back without my help?" Peter pointed out.

"Ned and Shuri could do it."

"Natasha would make you help."

Clint scowled at that thought, and then shrugged and rolled off the boy.

"Good point." He got to his feet and gave Peter a hand up. "Next time, Peter Pony," he said, with the most sinister voice he could come up with.

"Bring it on, Arrow Guy."

Stephen wasn't the only one who rolled his eyes at the terrible trash-talk.

"Where are Tony and Pepper?"

"Pepper went to go be annoyed at Tony, and Tony went to settle Ironpig in the gym."

"I thought you were taking the pig to the farm?" Strange asked.

Peter took the carrier from Wong, smiling, excitedly, to see his kitten.

"Ned will tell you about it. I'm going to take Nutmeg and find Tony. He has a collar for him."

"He already has a collar," Stephen pointed out.

"That was his daddy is in _Wakanda_ collar. This one is his daddy lives in the Avenger compound and doesn't want Nutmeg to get lost collar."

Strange rolled his eyes.

"Did you just refer to yourself as _daddy_?"

"_Twice_," Shuri confirmed.

Peter blushed, but grinned. He looked at the others.

"I'll be back in a bit."

They all watched him leave, and Stephen looked at Ned.

"Tell me about the pig."

OOOOOO

Tony wasn't in the gym, which was the first place Peter looked for him. He saw that the wooden carvings had all been put out on display, and had to admit that they were all amazing looking. The wool rugs were displayed, as well, but he didn't see the spears. Just as well, really, since Clint's kids were in the compound today – along with some other offspring of various Avenger support roles and SHIELD agents who were going to be at the picnic. The gym was going to be open for the people to look at the wood carvings, but it was better that the weapons were put away.

Natasha was in the gym. She and Lila were in an enclosure; the little girl with Ironpig on her lap cooing the piglet, happily. Peter set the cat carrier down behind a wooden carving so Lila wouldn't be distracted from the pig. Not that he didn't want her to hold Nutmeg, he just wanted the kitten in his collar and a little more acclimated to the compound before subjecting him to a little girl.

"Hey baby," Natasha said, greeting him once he'd walked up to the enclosure. She'd seen what he was doing and hadn't drawn attention to Peter until he had stashed the kitten. "Looking for Tony?"

"I am," he said, admiring the enclosure.

It was a lot nicer than it had been when Peter and Ned had pulled the piglet out of it that morning. It now had a little house, with a blanket, a fancy water dish made of gold and red metal that was inscribed with the name Ironpig – but instead of the Avenger's A on it, it had an Ironman mask with a pig snout, instead. Clearly Tony had been prepared to keep the piglet, despite sending him off to the farm that morning.

"He went to his quarters," Lila said, grinning up at Peter. "Isn't he cute?"

"Yeah, he is." He looked at Natasha. "I'll come find you later."

"Okay."

"Bye, Lila."

"Bye, Peter."

Stopping just long enough to reclaim his kitten, Peter headed for Tony's quarters, hoping this wasn't going to be one of those chases where he missed him by a few minutes and had to keep tracking him down.

It turned out that it wasn't. The boy knocked on their door and ir was immediately answered by Tony, who probably had been told by Friday who was at the door. Tony looked at the carrier.

"You brought him? Good." As if he'd expected Tony would be Peter's first stop once he'd claimed the kitten from Wong. "Bring him over and let's meet."

Peter followed Tony to the sofa where Pepper was sitting, and he sat on their coffee table, putting the carrier beside him. Tony sat down beside Pepper, who was already sticking her finger into the carrier to pet the kitten.

"He's adorable, Peter…"

The boy smiled and opened the door so Pepper could pull him out, and she did, cuddling the little guy and immediately rubbing his belly.

"Here, son," Tony said, pulling yet another collar out of his pocket and handing it to him. This one had a similar tag with NUTMEG engraved on it, the Avenger's A and Peter's cell number. It also had a tiny box. "Put that on him."

He did as he was told while Pepper cuddled him, and looked at Tony, curiously.

"What does the box do?"

"It's a few things," Stark replied. "It's a tracker so Friday can find him or IP no matter where they are in the compound. It'll also work with my suit – just in case. By tomorrow evening, it'll be connected to sensors throughout the compound – on every window, door and air vent. If IP or Nutmeg here are by themselves – if the sensor doesn't read a person with them – a forcefield is going to spring up, barring them from going out without permission."

"Like the one around the villa?" Peter asked.

"That's where I got the idea – and the tech."

"Nice."

He smirked.

"I thought so, too. The sensors are all in place – that's what I worked on this morning – but the system isn't up and running yet, so don't let him have too much freedom, just yet."

"I was thinking I'd put him in my bathroom. I know I have all of the stuff he needs there."

"Good choice." He looked at Pepper, who was still cooing to the kitten, making baby faces at him and baby talking him. "If you can get him from momma, first."


	111. Chapter 111

Tony went with him to put Nutmeg in his room, once Pepper had reluctantly handed the kitten over to the boy. She told them that she'd see them outside, and they parted ways at the door, with Tony holding the kitten, who had fallen asleep almost immediately.

"It's hard work, terrorizing magicians all day," Tony hazarded, making Peter smile.

"Let's hope he's nicer to _Avengers_."

"They were probably exaggerating," Tony told him, smirking. "He's a tiny little thing. And _cute_."

Peter wasn't convinced, but he didn't say anything. Time would tell, after all. When they reached his room, he left Tony to holding Nutmeg, as he brought all the things the kitten would need for his visit into the bathroom. The litter box and litter, food dish, water bowl – which he filled with fresh water – and several interactive toys. He also put a soft blanket and a plush toy on the floor in front of the sink, next to a little scratching post.

"That ought to do him," he said, watching as Tony eased the kitten onto the blanket without waking him up and then they left. "What can I do to help you with the sensors for their collars?"

"It's just a matter of having Friday finish a scan of the buildings to make sure we haven't missed any exits he might be able to make use of – and then bringing the system online. We'll run a test on both of them under a control, before we let either of them have the run of the place."

As they were talking, they had reached the door that led to the field, and saw that while they'd been gone, the activities were definitely picking up. Since it was a gorgeous day, many of the people who usually left for the weekend had brought their families to enjoy the festivities – and the free food – and there were a lot of things going on all at once.

The volleyball net was being well used, the horseshoe pits were busy and Steve was actively supervising the grilling of several different kinds of meat. Peter saw Azoru was on the grass nearby with both Jack and Nick Furry trying to lick him and play with him, and the young Jabari looked as though he was having a good time. Ned and Shuri were helping set out all of the side dishes; salads of all sorts, chips, baked goods – all of the usual mainstays for the barbeques, as well as drinks of all kinds in coolers at the ends of every table.

"I'm no expert on teenagers," Tony said, looking at Azoru. "But if there's time, he might benefit from a visit to the puppy therapy place."

Peter smiled.

"I'll see if he's interested. Want to go, if he is?"

"I'll ask your mom."

_"Peter!"_

He was suddenly engulfed in the loving embrace of Lila, who had spotted him from where she'd been playing with a group of other little kids and had come running. He swept her into his arms, easily, and smiled at Tony.

"I'll let you know what he says, after D&D tonight."

"You do that." Tony reached over and caught Lila's nose, winking at her. "I'm going to go watch Stephen bi- _complain_ about all the undercooked food. Come find me when you eat."

"I will."

"Take care of Peter for me, Lila."

"I will, Tony."

He headed for the table where Pepper was sitting with Wong, Stephen and Natasha, and Peter looked at the little girl in his arms.

"Want to go see what we're eating?"

"Yeah."

OOOOOOO

"We won't see him the rest of the day," Pepper said, smiling at Tony as he came over to sit down with them, but watching Peter move over to the tables to greet Shuri and Ned.

"Not if Lila has her way, no."

"He's thinking about taking Azoru to the puppy place tomorrow. Interested?"

He was looking at all four of them when he mentioned it, and there were varying degrees of interest. Pretty much the consensus was to wait and see how they felt that evening.

"You have the kitten someplace safe?" Wong asked.

"In Peter's bathroom. He'll be fine there, until you guys are ready to leave – and thank you very much for sitting him. And for watching _Peter_ while we were gone."

Wong nodded.

"I enjoyed having him to myself, for a while. He's good company."

Strange scowled.

"I was there, too."

"I know."

Tony looked at Natasha.

"Anything going on as far as the mafia thing that we need to know about?"

"They contacted me the other day, wanting to know if I knew any superheroes that might know Spiderman, so they could get in touch with him."

"And you said…?"

"That I would ask around."

"She said the superheroes _she_ works with have god complexes," Strange corrected, amused.

"Yeah." Tony shrugged. "We'll have to talk to Steve about that. He drives me crazy."

Pepper smirked.

"We're still sitting back, then?" Wong asked, curiously. "If the man is a threat to Peter, then perhaps he should simply be dealt with before he can present that problem."

"We don't _know_ that he's a threat," Natasha said. "I'm almost certain that King doesn't have any intention to harm or threaten Peter. But allowing him to know who he is would be dangerous enough. We'll wait and see what happens. They're still trying to figure it out, and since Peter's safe here, we don't need to worry."

"They wouldn't make a move on him, if they figure out who he is?" Strange asked.

"They might," she told them. "But they don't know who he is at the moment."

"What if he feels the urge to go out?" Pepper asked, concerned.

"He doesn't go out, right now," Tony said. "When Shuri and Azoru go home we'll explain to him what's going on – in detail – so he knows what we need him to do and why. He's good about not going anywhere without checking in, so we'll worry about it if it comes up."

"Fair enough."

OOOOOOO

The house was a modest one, considering who owned it. Luxurious, though, with four bedrooms, five bathrooms and a room for pretty much anything a person would need a room designed specifically for. There was a pool in the back and a three car garage, with two foreign sedans parked in the garage and a shiny American muscle car parked out in the driveway. Three men wearing suits were standing in various areas around the building, watching anyone who passed by, suspiciously, hands never far from the sidearms hidden under their jackets, even though they all knew there was no active threat reports at the moment.

You could never be too careful, after all.

Inside the house, despite all the room, there were only two people. Both were in the comfortable living room. One was lounging on the sofa, debating whether to take a nap or go for a drive in the car that had just been returned from the shop after having half of the harbor drained out of the engine compartment and the upholstery. The other was sitting in a soft chair, watching the society news while knitting – a new hobby her doctor had suggested to help with her new case of nerves.

He was ignoring it, for the most part, until he heard something about Tony Stark being back in the country from his honeymoon. That made him look over at the TV – even the mafia can be interested in an honest to god superhero, after all – and he saw a wedding, with Tony Stark, a beautiful woman that he didn't know and a lot of famous people that he knew or at least knew _of_.

"What are you watching, honey?"

"Tony Stark's wedding," she replied. "Very pretty. Look at the _dress_."

He rolled his eyes. _Women_. Then he saw the car that the wedding party were posing in front of and was a little more interested. It was a beauty. He had a thing for American classics – as verified by the car out in front of his house. Just as interesting, _Thor_ was posing in front of it. Which reminded him of his own hunt for a much less known superhero, and he wondered if he should call Alex and see how the search was coming.

He was thinking about doing just that as the entertainment program switched to the reception after the wedding – Still Stark's, obviously, and he watched as the couple were introduced and then saw a young guy – a _kid_, really – take the microphone and start giving a speech about how much he loved them

Joel frowned, doing a double-take at the voice.

"Rewind that, Marie."

"What?"

"Hit the rewind, button, I want to hear what the kid is saying…"

He closed his eyes as she did, concentrating on the voice. Young and just the right pitch. Could it… no way."

"Who is that kid?" he asked, knowing she kept up with everything social.

"That's _Peter_," she answered, immediately. "Isn't he _adorable_? He's Tony Stark's adopted son. Lost his whole family, poor baby, but Mr. Stark took him in – and then I suppose decided to make it permanent."

"Rewind it again, will you?"

She rolled her eyes, but did as he asked, watching as he focused on the young man in the tuxedo, speaking to the couple.

"What are you looking for?" she asked, curiously.

He was so intent.

"He just reminds me of someone…"


	112. Chapter 112

It was a fun afternoon.

As host to Azoru, Peter made it a point to spend the day close at hand to the Jabari youth. When the others began a game of football, he and Ned explained the game to Azoru and then they joined in, Steve running one team and Clint captaining the other, and always reminding the players that it was _flag_ football – especially since Clint was allowing both his oldest son _and_ Lila to play. Lila was the youngest allowed on the field, but there were a lot of youngsters present, running up and down the field, screaming cheerfully and shouting as they chased the football and whoever was holding it at the time.

Then, leaving them to their fun, Peter showed his guest how to play horseshoes, and then took him to play volleyball for a while, until Tony called them to come eat with them. They spent some time at the table with Pepper, Tony, Natasha, Wong and Stephen, and were joined by Shuri (who had been watching Steve playing football, and then grilling) and by Ned, who had managed to cut his lip playing football and was asking Peter if it made him look tough.

"How often do you do this?" Azori asked, looking around.

"In good weather we try to do it a couple of times a month, if we can," Tony told him. "There aren't usually so many people – we have a lot of _families_ here, today, and that doesn't always happen."

"But it's a good way to build the community of people that we have here," Pepper added. "Like the way your people have the communal meals we saw."

The Jabari had been thinking along similar lines, so he nodded.

"What do you do with the leftover food?"

"They take it home with them, or we eat it for dinner, or midnight snacks," Tony said. "We'll probably eat the chips, vegetables and desserts while we're playing D&D tonight – if there's enough left."

He looked pointedly at Peter, who had stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth and gave him an innocent look.

"Whhhat?"

Slightly garbled, but understandable enough.

"We should play _Chubby Bunny_," Ned said, suddenly, eyes lit up. "Peter?"

"Yeah."

"What is Chubby Bunny?" Tony asked.

"Why do I have a feeling I don't want to _know_?" Strange asked.

"We need participants," Ned said, looking around. "Me. Peter. Shuri. _Azoru_?"

The Jabari nodded, uncertain, but willing.

"Mr. Stark? Dr. Strange? _Wong_?"

"I'll watch from a safe distance," Strange said.

"_Chicken_?" Tony asked.

"Are _you_ playing?" Stephen asked, pointedly.

Tony looked at Peter.

"Is there _running_ involved?"

"No."

"Wrestling? Swimming? Relay races?"

"Nope. We sit right here."

"You don't go _anywhere_," Ned assured him.

"Sure. I'll play." He looked at Strange, raising an eyebrow. "Well?"

The magician scowled, certain he was falling into some kind of trap, even though he couldn't see it. Maybe he had his own spider senses.

"Fine. What do we do, Peter?"

"We need marshmallows," Ned answered. "A _lot_. Like six bags of the big ones."

Suddenly alarmed at the idea of whatever they were going to need anything with that much sugar in them, Tony hesitated.

"I don't think we have any mar-"

"I'm sure we can find some," Natasha interrupted, with a grin. She looked at Stephen, pointedly. "I think I saw several bags in that gray cooler over there, Ned. Go check."

Strange rolled his eyes, and Peter felt a slight tingle as his friend stood up and went to the cooler that Natasha had gestured at. Sure enough, the boy grinned and pulled out a half dozen bags, which he held up triumphantly and brought back to the table, along with an entire roll of paper towels, which made Tony even more nervous.

"What do we do?" Shuri asked, when Ned set a bag of marshmallows in front of each of those playing.

"It's easy. You just put a marshmallow into your cheek and then say _Chubby Bunny_."

"That's _it_?" Stephen asked, looking a little suspicious.

It seemed too easy. And there were _way_ too many marshmallows required for that to be the whole game.

"No," Peter said. "Once everyone has managed to say it with one, you start again, putting another in and saying it again."

"You go until you see who can stuff the most marshmallows in their mouth and still say chubby bunny," Ned said, grinning.

Strange looked over at Tony, clearly not amused at being roped into this particular game, and Pepper smirked.

"Wait…" she said, picking up her phone – which Natasha had _already_ done, definitely wanting this on video. "Okay. Who starts, Ned?"

"I will." He opened his bag of marshmallows and put one in his cheek. "Chubby Bunny."

Peter was sitting beside him, so he did the same, with equal ease, of course, and then looked at Shuri, who was always willing to try something new, She shrugged and echoed the boys' feat, her chubby bunny quite clear. Azoru had never had a marshmallow before, so he stopped and suspiciously sniffed his before he shrugged and popped it into his mouth, his eyes widening with surprise.

"That is very sweet."

"Yeah, it's pure sugar," Peter agreed. "Tony can't join until you say chubby bunny," he reminded Azoru.

"Chubby bunny."

Pepper snorted, and watched as Tony winked at Peter. Committed to the game, now, he was fully intending to win. He put a marshmallow in his mouth.

"Chubby Bunny…" and looked at Strange.

"There's only one bag left," the doctor said. "I'd hate for Wong to be left out."

"I'll play the next time," his friend told him, his normally stoic face alive with amusement. "Go ahead."

Strange did what he was supposed to do and rolled his eyes at Natasha – who was quick to take a picture. Ned wasn't the only one who smiled, but he started the next round, and into his mouth went another marshmallow.

They went around the table quickly at first. It wasn't too hard to say chubby bunny with a few marshmallows, of course, but when the count started getting up there a bit, it became a little more difficult, and more competitive. Pepper's eyes were watering as she watched Tony and Peter compete against the others, determined to win, while Ned was a past-champion of the game. Strange dropped out at five, trying to delicately spit the mouthful of sugar into paper towels, and Shuri lost the next round when she was smiling too hard to keep the sticky mess in her mouth.

The others lasted much longer. Azoru was disqualified at 10 when he started to swallow them, and Ned's cut lip made him drop out at 14. By sheer force of will, Tony made it up to 17, and Pepper's eyebrows were up into her bangs by then. He and Peter were both clearly uncomfortable, their cheeks distended by an amazing amount as Peter tried to force another marshmallow into his mouth. Once he did, the trick was to open his mouth and say Chubby bunny without losing it all.

"Chny bmm."

Natasha snorted, and reached over, cupping Peter's chin, her eyes amused.

"What was that, baby? I couldn't understand you…"

He rolled his eyes, drool coating her hand, suddenly, and she moved it just in time for him to bring a handful of paper towels up to clear his mouth, unable to go any further.

"One more marshmallow and you're the winner, Mr. Stark," Ned told Tony. "Otherwise, it's a _tie_."

"I'm going to throw up," Pepper said, also amused, but still holding the camera.

Tony crammed the next one into his mouth, stuffing it under his lower lip.

"You look like you've been stung by a hundred bees," Strange noted.

"Chb bny."

"Good enough," Ned told him, declaring their winner.

Tony spit out the marshmallows into paper towels and used more to wipe his chin.

"All videos will need to be submitted for editing," he said to Pepper and Romanoff, clearly pleased with himself for having beat the boys at their own game.

"Or…?" Pepper asked.

"I'm the DM tonight," he reminded her, kissing her and getting her lips sticky, too. "Do you _want_ your character to die at the hands of an angry orc?"

"Do you want to sleep on the couch, tonight?" she countered.

He smiled.

"You drive a hard bargain."


	113. Chapter 113

It was well into the afternoon before the barbeque started to wind down. Tony had enjoyed it, of course, and watching those around him, he could tell the others had, also. Azoru, especially, was relaxed and smiling – which was a success story right there, as far as Stark was concerned. They had the boy two more days (ish) and while he still spoke formally, like Shuri, he was much more at ease with the others. Which meant he'd have more fun.

Tony was sitting at the table. He'd watched as Peter and Pepper had joined in a three-legged race and had lost spectacularly, and had watched as Wong and Ned had dominated a water balloon tossing game that had left everyone else soaked – except for _him_, because he was now holding Ironpig in his arms and had sent everyone else on to play while he cuddled the piglet. That had been early enough that the sun had dried them all out by now. Especially since there had been a multitude of activities going on – something for everyone – and even Strange had been bullied by Romanoff into having a good time.

People were starting to pack up their families and head out, now, but living at the compound definitely made for easy travel time to and from the barbeques.

"You're looking _pretty_ smug," Pepper said, walking up to him and sliding her arms around him from behind.

"Because I'm a _genius_," he told her, presenting her a cheek to kiss – which she did – and freeing a hand to reach up and caress her chin, blindly.

"Yeah?" she settled in the chair beside his and reached out to touch the piglet, who had fallen asleep in Tony's arms. "Why do you say that?"

"Because the kids are having a good time, Azoru is fitting in as well as can be expected for a Wakandan noble who doesn't have a crush on Steve – and maybe _Peter_? – and they're all running around, right now, which means they're going to be easy to settle this evening, and everyone will be in the perfect mood for my campaign. It's wins all around."

She looked over at the field, where Peter and the other teens were playing freeze tag with a large group of youngsters, with Jack and Nick Furry chasing after them – but not freezing when tagged. It was the perfect game to wind things down with, since kids could be taken out to go home without forcing a reset of teams. And it would wear those children (and the two dogs) out, so they'd maybe even just sleep on the way home.

"You think Shuri has a crush on Peter?" Pepper asked, smiling, as she watched them playing.

She didn't remember ever having that much _energy_.

"Maybe not a crush," he conceded, with a shrug. "But they're very comfortable together."

"I think it's _adorable_."

"Yeah."

He wondered if Ramonda and T'Challa would find it so adorable, though, if Shuri decided that Peter was a suitable match and actually pressed for it. Despite the way Strange and Ramonda had punked the kids – and everyone else – Tony was relatively certain that the royal blood of Wakanda probably didn't include an American in there, anywhere. The girl was strong-willed and intelligent, though – Tony liked her, a lot – and she was probably fairly determined when she had her mind made up.

"I'm going to go get out of the sun for a while."

"Will you take Ironpig here to his pen on your way by?"

"Arm getting numb?"

"Yes. Besides, I don't want him getting sunburned."

Tony hadn't even known that was a thing with pigs, but the moment he'd decided it wouldn't be such a bad thing to have one, he'd done his research – of course – and was now pretty knowledgeable about what pigs needed and how best to take care of them. He'd only keep him a few months, of course, before letting him go to a less crazy home, but he wanted to make sure he was healthy.

She took the piglet from him without even waking him.

"I'll meet you in the lounge, later, or I'll be in our rooms."

"Sounds good, honey. I'll round up the kids, eventually, and send them to get changed."

They both looked over at the field once more. Clint and his wife had come to collect their little brood, and now Peter was rolling around in the grass, tackled once more by Clint, but now fending off his daughter's attack as she clung to his back, shrieking with glee as she rescued Peter. As they watched, Clint's oldest son joined in, as did Ned, Shuri and Nick Furry, making it a true dog pile when Jack came rushing over to help.

"That boy is a glutton for punishment," Stephen said, walking over and seating himself beside Tony, eyes on Peter.

"I'm pretty sure Clint started it," Pepper told them. She kissed Tony, again. "Make sure he doesn't get _hurt_, okay?"

"Yes, dear."

She left with Ironpig, and Stark looked at Strange.

"Are you guys going home, first? Or just sticking around here until the big event?"

"We need to go check on the sanctum and get our things. Do you need us to bring anything?"

"No. We have everything we need. Are you planning on bringing the cloak?"

"No. It wanted to come see Peter – at least I _assume_ it did – but with all the people around, I reminded it that it was going to have to pretend to be a blanket, and it didn't attach to my collar. I'll assume that we don't want to have to explain it to Azoru, either – or Shuri, who still things there's technology involved, somehow. It can visit him when they're safely home."

"Agreed." He tapped the table, lightly, watching as Peter took an elbow to the face, accidentally, from Shuri, who had been trying to wrestle Clint's boy but had had to deal with Jack's tail in her face, first. "Any preference tonight on the campaign? It's drawn up, but if you have your heart set on a particular scenario, I could probably throw it in, somewhere."

"Just make sure Wong's character doesn't get killed off, will you?" he requested, looking over to where Wong was sitting with Steve and Bruce. "He'll be sulky and surly for days and I don't want to have to deal with that."

"Not to mention I don't want to have him nagging me for a do-over," Tony added. "Oh, I'm seeing _blood_."

He got to his feet, just as Peter was getting helped to his feet by Ned, who was looking over at Tony, as though he knew (which he _did_) that Stark somehow always knew when things went wrong with Peter. The two boys had been pretty sneaky about turning Peter so Lila wouldn't see that he was bleeding and maybe freak out and ruin her afternoon with worry. They couldn't hear what Peter said to the dogpile but no one followed him, and Ned attacked Lila with tickle fingers to keep her distracted.

Stephen followed and they met the boy half-way across the field, pinching his nose and trying to keep the crimson flow from splattering his t-shirt.

"She got you?" Strange asked, rhetorically, his sharp gaze already checking for swelling.

"Yeah. It's fine," Peter added, quickly, so Tony wouldn't be concerned. "I just didn't want Lila to worry."

"Good plan. Go get cleaned up. We'll tell her that you went to check on Nutmeg."

"Okay."

Strange shook his head.

"See what I mean?"

Tony smiled, walking back over to the table so he could keep an eye on things, again, and Stephen joined him.

"He's a kid. He's going to get knocked down once in a while."

"Very philosophical."

"I know, right?"

"Considering that I saw you panic when you saw he was _bleeding_."

"I didn't panic. I just didn't want to have to try to explain to Pepper why he'd ruined another perfectly good t-shirt."

"Riiiiight."


	114. Chapter 114

"You've got to be kidding me…"

The little yellow kitten looked at him, blue eyes wide and innocent – or at least that's what Peter _thought_ he was trying to go for. The boy had returned to his quarters and carefully pulled his shirt off, trying to keep from getting any more blood on it than he already had. Maybe it wasn't ruined, yet. Then, figuring a wet washcloth would probably be the best way to get his nose to stop bleeding – and to clean it all up once he _did_ – he'd opened his bathroom door to get one.

And had walked into a chaotic mess.

The toilet paper was shredded. And it was everywhere. Everything that had been on the sink; deodorant, hand soap, band-aids, cologne, toothbrush, toothpaste, and even the nail care set that Pepper had bought him just for the trip to Wakanda, were all on the floor, and the kitten was sitting in the bathroom sink, a fluffy ball of cuteness.

"Did _you_ do all of this?" Peter asked, rhetorically, walking in and catching sight of his bloody face in the mirror. A reminder that he probably didn't want to cuddle with Nutmeg – even though he was soooo cute, just then. A troublemaker born, true, but he was _his_ troublemaker. "I need the sink, little man."

He scooped the kitten out with the hand that had the least amount of blood on it and gingerly set the fluffball on the side of the sink before bending over to pick up a washcloth that had been hanging on the towel rack. Along with the towel that was on the floor, now, also. Turning on the water, making sure Nutmeg wasn't going to get wet, Peter wet the cloth in his hand with cold water, first, and had a man to man talk with his kitten.

"You know… Wong told me that you were terrorizing them at the sanctum, but I told him that you were too sweet and innocent for that," he said, pressing the wet cloth against his nose. It was swelling a little, but he knew it wasn't _that_ bad. The good thing about being enhanced like he was; he could get poisoned, and bruised and even shot or cut up a little, but his bones didn't break. At least he hadn't been hit hard enough to have one break, yet. And he'd fallen off buildings and had had buildings fall _on_ him. "So, you're going to need to work on your brand," Peter told his kitten.

Nutmeg stared at him, but didn't seem to have anything to add – and he certainly wasn't worried about his brand, apparently.

"Peter?" He didn't need to turn. He just looked into his mirror and saw Pepper reflected in it, standing behind him. He caught her eye, but then she looked down at the disaster that was his bathroom. "Oh, my."

He smirked, although it was mostly hidden behind the cloth he was holding against his face.

"Bored kitty is a destructive kitty. I was just telling him off."

She smiled, walking in and reaching for the cloth that he was holding, and pulling it away to look at his face. Peter could see that she looked concerned, but not seriously so.

"Tony passed word through Friday that you were bleeding."

"Yeah, wrestling with the others and took an elbow. I'm not hurt, though. I just got out of the way so Lila wouldn't get scared."

"Smart. Did Clint hit you?"

"Shuri – I think."

She smiled, putting the cloth back against his nose.

"Think we're going to need to ask for retribution?"

Peter smiled.

"I'll write it off as an accident, and save T'Challa the trouble of figuring what else he needs to give me."

She picked up Nutmeg, pressing her face against his furry belly before cradling him in her arms.

"What kind of retribution are you going to ask _him_ for?" she asked with a slight smile. "You know none of this mess is _accidental_."

"Yeah. He _looks_ cute and innocent, but he isn't." He pulled the cloth away and decided that his nose was done bleeding. "Maybe I'll run up a tab for him. Bad things versus good things. He only gets one point a day for being cute, though – and about a hundred for turning the toilet paper into confetti."

"Is he coming to D&D?"

"Yes, but he'll either be in the carrier, or he'll be in someone's arms at all times. I can see chaos – of the unlawful sort – erupting if he was turned loose on all of our dice and figurines."

"I knew you were a smart guy."

Peter smiled at that, wiping the blood off his face and where it had dribbled a little down his neck, as well.

"It's a curse."

Pepper handed him his kitten.

"Is it safe for me to tell Tony that you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm _fine_." He looked up toward the wall. "Karen? Will you tell Friday I'm not bleeding anymore?"

"Sure."

"Now he'll hear it from you _and_ from Friday. The two most important women in his life."

She rolled her eyes, but there was some truth in what he was saying, she knew. Crazily enough, there was a time when she wouldn't have known which spot _she_ held, but now there was no doubt.

"Do you need any help with this?"

He wasn't sure if she meant his nose, or the kitten, or the mess in the bathroom, but he shook his head. He could handle all three.

"I'm good, mom. Thanks."

Pepper's expression softened when he said it; it always did, because it was still so new for her – like it was for him. She was trying very hard not to make a big deal out of it, though, and make him self-conscious about using it. So instead of getting weepy and hugging him (which is what she wanted to do – so badly) she brushed her fingertips along Nutmeg's fuzzy head.

"I'll see you in the lounge."

She left and closed the door behind her – mindful of the kitten – and Peter slid his fingers along the kitten's soft fur, looking at the mess.

"So, everything goes in the medicine cabinet from now on. Got it."

He was young, but he usually only needed one object lesson. He dried the sink out with the towel he picked up off the floor, and then settled the kitten into the sink and started picking up the mess. Nutmeg watched for a moment, and then went to sleep. Cleaning a mess wasn't anywhere near as interesting as making it, after all.

OOOOO

It didn't take long to clean it up. He was glad, though, that he'd decided to limit the kitten to the bathroom and not give him free rein of his entire quarters. Once the bathroom was back in its previous condition, Peter scooped Nutmeg into his arms and cuddled with him while he found a clean shirt to wear, and then settled the kitten in the middle of his bed while he pulled out his D&D character sheets, debating which of his characters he was going to play that evening. There were several, after all.

Peter was an established nerd, unlike some of the others.

He put the chosen papers with his dice and figure and set them in the living room. Then he went back into his bedroom, closing the door firmly behind him after making sure Nutmeg was still on the bed. He made himself an icepack with a sock, a zip-lock bag and some ice from the freezer portion of his fridge.

"Karen, if I fall asleep will you make sure I'm awake by seven?"

_"Of course."_

"Thanks."

He didn't plan on sleeping, but you never knew – and he didn't want to make anyone come looking for him. He scooped the kitten up once more, laid himself down on the bed, with his head propped up by pillows. He set the icepack on his face, and the kitten on his chest. Nutmeg looked a little annoyed at being constantly moved, but he must have liked the sound of Peter's heartbeat or the vibrations made when the boy started humming to him, because he settled into a fuzzy ball and promptly went to sleep.

Peter didn't know the song, only the melody, and he only knew _that_ because it was the tune that the cloak was always humming into his mind when it was trying to settle him. It was probably something it picked up from Wong, who maybe hummed while dusting in the library, or something. Whatever it was, he ended up humming himself to sleep, as well.


	115. Chapter 115

It was his spider senses that woke him, warning him gently that he wasn't alone, anymore. It wasn't a _threat_; he knew without opening his eyes that the alert would have been screaming at him if there was someone he didn't know, or someone who meant him harm. In this instance it was more of a heads-up that there was someone there, in his room.

He opened his eyes just as Shuri sat down on the edge of his bed, looking him over, and then reaching to slide a finger along Nutmeg's head. Peter saw the kitten was still asleep and wondered how long he'd been sleeping.

"If your plastic bag were to leak you would probably drown," Shuri told him.

He reached for the icepack and saw that she was right. The ice was gone, and it was just water and a soggy sock inside the baggie, now. Peter smiled, moving it over to his nightstand.

"Good thing you came to rescue me."

She didn't smile, and her eyes were on his face – his _nose_, to be precise.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, reaching out, hesitantly, and brushing her fingertips along the side of his nose where a bruise was now showing. "Tony said that you were bleeding, but that Pepper said she had checked on you and you were not in distress."

"Yeah, I'm not.," he told her, sitting up a bit more – carefully, to avoid displacing Nutmeg, who opened an eye and then went back to sleep. He wasn't an expert in reading people, but he thought that she looked guilty, so he tried to distract her. "I came back to a huge disaster in the bathroom where I left Nutmeg, though."

"Oh?"

He told her about the mess the kitten had made, glancing at the clock and seeing that he'd slept a couple of hours. They weren't actually going to have a scheduled dinner that evening, since the barbeque had had them eating lunch fairly late. Food would be available for anyone who wanted it while they were playing their D&D game, and the fridge in Peter's room had been restocked the day before he'd returned from Wakanda, so he wasn't going to starve.

"So the takeaway for this, is that I need to kitten proof my room. And maybe the entire compound."

Shuri shook her head.

"And you wanted to give him to me…"

"A friendly way to secure a bond between our countries," Peter told her, smiling. "But, of course, now I couldn't let you have him. Not knowing that nothing would be safe in the palace."

"Surely he is not that bad."

"He chewed on my _toothbrush_."

She smiled at that, but then turned serious, again.

"I am sorry I hurt you."

"You didn't do it on purpose, right?"

"Of course not."

"Then no need to apologize. I'm fine. What have you guys been doing while I was napping?'

"Azoru and Ned helped clear away the tables and chairs and put them away. _I_ helped Steve clean the barbeques."

She looked pretty pleased for someone who had been put to work doing one of the messier jobs at the end of a picnic. Of course, he was sure that the company she'd been keeping probably made all the difference. Shuri was a Captain America fan, too. Proof that his fame was international.

"Should I be _jealous_?" Peter asked, pretending to look worried.

She rolled her eyes, slapping his arm, amused.

"He is a _hundred_. That makes him much too old for me."

"Good. Then I don't have to go duel him, just yet. Are you ready for the campaign, tonight?"

"Of course."

"Let's take Nutmeg and see what's going on, then."

OOOOOOO

_"Your group is making a pilgrimage to an ancient shrine. You're surprised when you're overtaken on the road by a merchant, who says that he needs some bodyguards for the trip that he is on and asks if anyone in your group is interested. When asked, he states that his destination is the same as your own, and says that he would hire all of you, to make sure that he arrives at the shrine safely. What do you do?"_

Tony looked at the people gathered around the large table, expectantly.

"We kill him and take whatever it is he has?" Wong asked.

Peter wasn't the only one to smile at that. He was holding Nutmeg, who was being cute and innocent at the moment, simply watching the others as they started playing.

"You can't," he told the magician.

"My character is an assassin and thief," he reminded Peter. "It stands to reason that he'd be alright with that."

"He would," Ned agreed "But Steve, here, has a paladin, who wouldn't allow something like that to happen."

"It goes against his alignment," Strange added. "That would cause strife in the group. Your job as an assassin is to be sneaky about it. You have to remember; as far as most of the group knows, your guy is a simple merchant, himself."

Wong scowled.

"Can we ask him what he's carrying?"

"Absolutely."

"We would certainly want to know," Shuri agreed, looking at Azoru to see if he was following the story. Make believe wasn't unheard of with the Wakandans, of course, but pretending to do something dishonorable was a bit trickier. "If it was something stolen, we would need to be concerned the police are after him – and us."

"Very good, princess," Tony said, smiling. "That is definitely something you'd be wanting to know."

"So we ask," Pepper said, moving her little elf figure in front of the marker Tony had placed on the map, that represented the merchant.

"He says it's a dragon egg," Stark told them, mysteriously.

"There are no dragons," Azoru pointed out.

"In a game called _Dungeons and Dragons_, we can assume that there _could_ be," Steve said, understanding completely. "Maybe your fighter hasn't seen one, but my paladin almost certainly has heard of them."

The Jabari youth nodded.

"Then do we ask if it is stolen?"

"Would he admit it if it was?" Natasha asked.

Good point.

"What do you do?" Tony asked, smiling.

This was great. He loved weaving a story more than almost anything, and watching his Avengers and the others play the story out – discussing strategies and logic and human behavior was far more entertaining to him than he really would admit. Add the different dynamic of having Shuri and Azoru there, and it was that much more fun. And insightful, really.

"We could use the money," Peter pointed out, resting his chin on Nutmeg's head. "Feeding our party and the horses isn't cheap – and it's not like it's out of our way."

"He could be leading us into a trap."

Leave it to Natasha to think of that, Tony thought.

"There are a lot of us," Ned said, smiling. Tony could tell he loved playing with this group, too – and for probably the same reason Stark liked watching them. "We're not carrying anything of real value. Besides, we have a wizard and a cleric, just in case. I say we go for it."

The group wrangled for a few moments, but came to the mutual conclusion that they would accept the job, and Tony ran them through the story, which was of an evil demigod that had stolen not one, but _three_ dragon eggs from an evil magician who ruled a far away kingdom and was now looking everywhere for his prizes.

There were traps everywhere for the small group and their demigod companion, and monsters of all sorts to attempt to kill them on their journey. The culmination, of course, coming when the evil magician – riding on a _dragon_ – finally located them and the group suddenly found themselves in the middle of a battle between dragon, magician and demigod. Everyone had to pick sides, who did they trust more, and what would they do, and eventually – with a lot of lucky natural 20 rolls of the dice by almost everyone, both the evil king and the demigod killed each other, leaving the group facing a furious dragon who wanted the eggs back.

"That was awesome, Mr. Stark," Ned told Tony, when all was said and done.

"Yeah, it was," Peter agreed.

"So, we just get to keep the merchant's things?" Azoru asked. "No one will care that it is not really ours?"

"Nope. Even Steve's paladin won't object," Ned said. "We didn't kill him. And he was contracted with us and it turned out he lied. In the game, that's a breach of trust."

"Besides, we don't have any next of kin to give it to," Strange added. "Your character would be fine with it, but if you want a completely clear conscious, you can say that he donated his share to a local temple for the poor."

"I will do that, then," Azoru decided, nodding. He smiled, though, and suddenly looked a few years younger than he really was. "This was a _very_ interesting game."

"Did you have fun?" Pepper asked.

"I did. Thank you for including me."

Tony smiled.

"I'll make sure you have all that you need to take it back home with you. You can teach some of your friends how to play."

"Nerds in Wakanda," Strange said, shaking his head. "It's a pandemic."

"Nothing wrong with that. Shuri's there, too – and we already know that she's a nerd."

The princess shrugged.

"Probably."


	116. Chapter 116

It was fairly late by the time they finished their campaign, but it didn't matter, really. It was a weekend. They didn't have school, Pepper didn't have to work the next day, and the magicians didn't really have a set schedule, anyway. The next thing that they had on their actual itinerary for the weekend was brunch – although there was going to be some sparring going on before that so Azoru could see some of the other styles that Peter had been trained in.

Peter reluctantly handed Nutmeg over to Wong before the magicians left.

"Are you coming to brunch?" he asked them.

Ned and Azoru had already left the lounge; Ned was going to teach Azoru the fine art of video games. Shuri was talking to Steve and Pepper, with Tony clearing the last of the snacks from the table they'd been using.

"I'm going to pass," Wong told him.

"I'll wait and see," Stephen said. "If Natasha wants to go, then I will."

"You can come, even if _she_ doesn't want to," Peter reminded him. "It could be guys only, or something – and _Pepper_, of course."

"And Shuri," Wong reminded him.

"Right."

Strange smiled.

"Thanks. However, if Natasha wants to do something else, you're on your own, buddy."

"Okay."

Fair enough. Of course, Natasha usually did brunch with them. Even if she had plans later in the day. He assumed it was because she liked the food. Strange knew it was because she liked the down time with Peter and the others. Especially with Peter.

"Are you going bowling, tomorrow?"

"Yes." He cocked his head. "Want to come?"

"Bowling with a quartet of teenagers?" Strange said. "Not likely. They go home Monday, then?"

"Monday evening, yeah."

"Will Tony have the collar ready by then?" Wong asked, pressing his face into Nutmeg's furry belly and blowing a raspberry.

"It's almost ready, now," Peter confirmed. "It shouldn't be a problem."

"Good."

"He's setting it up for Ironpig, too."

"Good. He's probably not as good at finding escape routes as Nutmeg, here, but he needs to be taken care of, too."

"We're going to go before Shuri decides to walk us to our car," Strange told him. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Peter nodded and told them goodnight. The two sorcerers left the lounge and judging by the tingle Peter felt, the compound. He walked over to where Shuri was standing near Steve, and she smiled a greeting and put her arm around his waist, causally, as he approached.

"Did they leave?" she asked.

"Yeah. They need to get Nutmeg home before he has a chance to destroy something. Stephen might do brunch with us – depending on if Natasha does."

"Which means he's going to do brunch with you," Steve told him.

There was little doubt that Natasha wasn't going to do brunch.

"Do you plan on driving up?" Pepper asked as Tony walked over to join them, sliding his arms around Pepper from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Can I?" Peter asked.

"You're going bowling, after?"

"Yes. I think so."

"Then you might as well," Tony said. "No sense in coming all the way back here if you don't need to. One of the unmarked sedans, though."

"Yeah."

"We're going to do some sparring in the morning," Steve added. "Mostly myself and _you_ – or Azoru, if he's interested. With _me_, not with you."

"You are not worried about him beating Peter, are you?" Shuri asked. "He is a good fighter, but not compared to Peter."

"No. It's just better to keep the risk of confrontation down," Tony explained.

"Besides, Peter already _looks_ beat up," Pepper said. "Thanks to Shuri."

The Wakandan girl looked at the slight bruising on Peter's face, but it wasn't too bad, really. Maybe before he'd gone to Africa and managed to get a little color it would have shown more, but as it was, it was noticeable but not too much. She still had a somewhat guilty look on her expression, but Peter only smiled.

"Bruce Lee."

Steve snorted.

"I'm going to bed."

He left and Tony and Pepper looked at Peter.

"We're going to bed, too. Don't stay up too late, alright?"

"Yeah, I won't."

"Thank you for the campaign, Tony. It was fun."

He gave her a formal bow, while Peer moved away from Shuri to hug Pepper, goodnight.

"You're welcome. I had fun, too. We'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight."

They left and Shuri turned to Peter.

"I am not, yet, tired. Shall we have a nightcap?"

Peter smiled, knowing full well that she didn't mean an alcoholic one. She was no more interested in drinking than he was. They went to the bar, though, and he went behind it, sliding into the bartender role easily enough.

"What can I get you, toots?" he asked, drawling his words to make himself sound like a gangster from one of the old movies that he was so fond of.

Luckily, _she_ had seen some of those movies, as well.

"A Shirley Temple. Do you know how to make it?"

Peter nodded, looking under the counter.

"We have a book," he told her, bringing it out and handing it to her. "Even if I hadn't heard of it before, I could still make one."

"Why is it called a guide to pink elephants?" She asked, curiously.

"I'm not sure," he admitted, putting ice into a glass for her and adding 7-Up. "Maybe that's what drunks see?"

"Have you ever been drunk?"

"No. And I never _will_ be – if it's at all like what happened to me with that tea. It wasn't fun. You?"

She shook her head, watching as he added the grenadine and a few maraschino cherries and handed it to her.

"No. We are _allowed_ to drink," she added, taking a sip of the drink he'd made her. "But a drunken display would be a disaster, really – not to mention the consequences of getting drunk and doing something I would regret the next morning. It is not something to risk."

"Yeah. I imagine being royalty and all, you'd definitely want to avoid scandals."

"Yes." She smiled, impishly. "Unless I create them, on _purpose_, of course."

"Like flirting with a poor New Yorker instead of a prince?" Peter asked, smiling, and reaching for a glass to pour himself a cola. "They've caught on, now, but that really _was_ a lot of fun."

"You are _not_ poor," Shuri pointed out. "And you have many fine qualities that raise you well above many princes I have met. Do not sell yourself short. If not for MJ, I might not have protested when my mother mentioned joining our family to yours."

Peter blushed, heatedly, both at the compliment that she'd given him, and at the thought that she liked him enough to admit it. He smiled, taking a drink of his cola, trying to act a lot smoother than he really was.

"Lila's the one you have to worry about," he told her. "She's already told me that she's going to marry me and we're going to live on a farm. MJ looks at me and laughs, most of the time. And I'm pretty sure it makes her nervous that I'm Spiderman."

"Who?"

"_Spiderman_," Peter repeated. "The alter-ego that Pepper and Tony told you about…"

He knew they'd told her; Tony had said that there hadn't been any choice, really. Normal teens didn't run around picking up rhinos when they were high, after all.

"They told me you have your extraordinary powers because of an accident with a spider in a lab," she said, confused. "But nothing about a Spiderman."

"Oh." He rolled his eyes. He might as well not even bother with a suit, really. Between Ned finding out by pure dumb luck, MJ figuring it out on her own, and now him babbling the news to Shuri – honestly assuming that Pepper and Tony had already told her – he wasn't going to have anyone left to keep his identity from. "Forget I said anything, then."

She gave him that look that told him he was being dumb. It was a new one from her, but he recognized it all the same.

"You know I will not. Tell me."

"It's supposed to be a secret."

"Does Ned know?"

"Yes."

"And you already mentioned that MJ does."

"Yes."

"You do not trust me?"

He gave a purely mental sigh, and shrugged.

"You can't tell anyone, though."

"You have my word."

So as they stood at the bar, Peter let her in on the rest of his secret. The part that he thought she'd already been told. To her credit, she was attentive and quiet, not interrupting him with questions or comments. Then, when he was done, she pulled up YouTube to look at the videos, shaking her head, in amazement.

"You're a _superhero_, Peter…" she told him, excitedly.

He blushed.

"Not, yet. But maybe someday."

Her gaze turned back to the most vivid of the videos.

"Did Tony make your suit?"

"Yeah."

"Why isn't it iron, or metal…? Wouldn't it be more protective, that way?"

"I need more flexibility than metal will allow," he explained. "Tony couldn't swing on a web like I do. Of course, he can _fly_, so he doesn't need to be able to."

"Wow."

He shook his head, almost embarrassed – but secretly pleased, as well. He didn't have any fangirls looking at him like they looked at Steve or Tony, after all. It was a heady sensation.

"Anyway. Don't tell anyone."

"I will not."

But he could see she was thinking about something – he was almost curious enough to ask, but decided not to.

"It's getting late. We'd better go to bed."

"Yes. Walk me to my room?"

"Of course."


	117. Chapter 117

The next morning started with a lesson in fighting for Azoru.

With Peter, Shuri, Ned and Steve looking on, Natasha squared up with the young Jabari noble and gave him a lesson in hand to hand fighting. It was something that his people learned at an early age, but not extensively. Mostly for the sake of having the skill – especially for a noble who might need the ability for a ritual combat, some day. Azoru was good, Peter saw; he was young, quick and had good reflexes, but he definitely had a thing or two to learn, and Peter already knew Natasha was a good teacher.

"He's pretty good, huh, Steve?" Ned noted, watching intently.

"Yes."

"The Jabari are some of the fiercest fighters in Wakanda," Shuri said, softly, watching as Natasha knocked Azoru down and then showed him the move that she'd used to do it. "Many of the palace guards, border guards and even the Dora Milaje are of the Jabari tribe."

"I can see why," Peter said.

He could also understand, better, why Tony didn't want _him_ to spar with Azoru. The Jabari was good, but Peter was a _lot_ faster, and he wasn't very good at going slow, so he would be no match for Azoru, and it would almost be an insult to him if he tried to spar with him and not hurt him. Which, of course, was to be avoided.

It was obvious, though, that he was excited to learn what Natasha was teaching him. He was paying close attention to what she was telling him, and treating her with the same respect that he'd shown all those who were above him in station back in his own home. Despite the fact that his D&D character had had to save hers the evening before from a pillar of smoky dragon's breath the evening before.

"You guys are bowling today?" Steve asked the others, still watching Natasha and Azoru.

"Yeah. After brunch."

"And tonight, we show off for our Wakandan guests," Steve said with a smile for Shuri, who echoed his smile with a rosy blush, even noticeable with her darker complexion.

"That's going to be awesome," Ned said, grinning.

Tony had decided that Azoru – and Shuri – should be treated to a little demonstration of just what the Avengers were capable of. Not the Hulk, of course – that would be pushing things – but they were going to see the jets, the archery, the fighting skills, Steve and Natasha leading teams against each other in capture the flag – which Peter was going to be allowed to join in on (a first for him, so _he_ was excited, too) and it would finish with Tony donning the Ironman suit and showing off some of his own skills against simulated enemy attacks.

Ned hadn't seen it, either, and he was looking forward to it.

"Yeah, it should be fun." He looked at Peter. "You're not taking the Pontiac bowling, right?"

"Yeah. No. We're going to be in one of the sedans. One of the _compound_ sedans."

Not _Tony's_ – which were all labeled with STARK license plates.

"I'll draw up teams this morning, sometime. Do you have a preference for your captain?"

Peter shook his head, smiling.

"Whoever wants to be stuck with the _rookie_."

His combat experience was nil. But since the capture the flag competition was only hand to hand and mostly was stealth, Peter shouldn't embarrass himself too much, he hoped.

"I'll keep you with me, I think. Natasha might be tempted to use you for defense, but I think you'll do better going for the other flag."

Peter nodded, watching as Natasha allowed Azoru to pull the move she'd just taught him, impressed as always by how amazing she was.

"Whatever you want," he assured him. "Just point me at the target."

Rogers smiled at that, and then looked over at Ned.

"Ready for some exercise?"

"Yeah."

They went over to a different mat as squared off; Steve having decided that since Ned was at the compound, he might as well get some practice as well. He wasn't an expert by any means, yet, so the more practice the better, they both agreed. Peter and Shuri watched as Ned made over-exaggerated motions with his hands and moved his lips, pretending to be in a movie with a voice over.

"Come at me, grasshopper…"

Steve smiled, shaking his head, and did just that. Taking the boy down with a leg sweep and then dodging when Ned countered with a kick of his own. Shuri clapped in appreciation of the attempt, and Ned flashed her a smile before lurching to his feet to wait for the next attack. He was getting better.

It was impossible not to, really, when it was _Captain_ freaking _America_ teaching you, after all.

OOOOOO

"Natasha is an impressive woman, isn't she?"

Peter looked over at Azoru, and nodded.

"She's _amazing_."

The two were sitting in the front of the sedan, waiting for Ned and Shuri so they could leave for the buffet restaurant. They were watching as Happy held the door for the others, and Natasha had just waved at Peter before entering into the back of the limo, followed by Pepper and then Strange. Tony had already given Peter his usual _drive carefully and call me if you need_ anything speech, so they were leaving.

"She taught you to fight?"

"She's my primary instructor, yes. But Steve and the others will fill in for her when she needs them to – and Wong was the one who taught me to fight with staffs and spears."

"You are very good."

He'd seen Peter go against Okoye, after all.

"Thank you. From what I saw, you're good, too. Did you learn anything new from Natasha?"

"Yes. Many new moves. I will take them home with me, and it will be added to the general knowledge of the Jabari tribe – which will make us stronger."

"Good."

"May I ask you a question, Peter?" he asked, turning to the other boy.

"Yeah. Of course."

"Why did you make me come here? It is hardly the punishment that I expected it to be. You and your people are very kind to me."

"I didn't want it to be a _punishment_, at all," Peter admitted. "I was hoping that you'd decide we weren't so bad, after all, and maybe the next guy that came along wouldn't be treated to a dose of mind altering herbs."

"It worked."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. I didn't _hate_ you – just so you know. I was jealous and angry that Shuri was paying attention to you, when she should not be even considering an outsider as a potential partner, let alone as a possible husband. Even one that saved her life and was injured doing it."

"You know about that?"

"We all know about it. But you are a good person. Your _friends_ are good people, too, so that says much about you. They have treated me as a friend, and not as someone who is being punished for being a foolish child. When I return home, I will be a better person because of this retribution."

Peter smiled.

"Isn't that the point of making you pay it?"

"I suppose. But thank you for making me come. It wasn't supposed to be fun for me, but it _is_."

"You're welcome. We still have a good day ahead of us, too. All we can eat lunch and then bowling, if we have time after that w-"

They were interrupted by Ned and Shuri, who were arguing about who was stronger; Captain America Superman as they opened the back doors of the car and got themselves buckled in.

"They _left_?" Ned asked.

"Yeah. They'll meet us at the restaurant."

"Tell her that Superman is stronger than Captain America, will you?"

"Why would I do that? Superman's not real and Steve _is_. Of course he's stronger."

Shuri preened. Everyone liked to be right, after all.

"Is he stronger than _Spiderman_, though?" she asked, her expression mischievous.

Peter rolled his eyes.

"It's a tie."

Ned frowned, looking at his friend.

"How do you know that?"

"We – I mean _they_ – arm-wrestled, once. For almost an hour. It was a tie."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Cool."


	118. Chapter 118

"I have never seen so many choices in one meal…"

Peter smiled, looking at his guest.

"Yeah. We come here most Sundays – when we _can_. It's nice to have a large variety."

"Your best bet is to take a little bit of a lot of things," Ned suggested. "That way you're not wasting it if there's something you find you don't like. Once you know what you like, you can come get more."

"They let you do that?"

"It's called _all you can eat_ for a reason," Ned told him, sagely, reaching for a plate and handing it to the Jabari and then taking one for himself. "Stay away from the wings, though – unless you like really spicy ones."

Shuri had been to the buffet, before, and was quite comfortable putting her plate together, teasing Peter because he didn't like his food touching each other, while she just piled hers haphazardly on the plate, pointing out that it all went the same place. Which, of course, was the same thing May had always told him, too.

It made him smile as he walked back with the others to the small, private, room that they always used. Azoru was seated between Tony and Pepper. She hadn't had much chance to really spend time with him, and wanted to do so, and Tony wanted to hear about his sparring lesson with Natasha, who was seated across the table from him so that she could give her input into the conversation. Peter sat at the end of the table; Strange beside him and Shuri and Ned across from him.

"Did you hear what your kitten did?" the sorcerer asked, looking over to make sure that Azoru was engaged in conversation with the others – which told Peter it had something to do with a relic or artifact.

"I'm afraid to _ask_."

Stephen smiled.

"Wong found him fishing in the tank outside of the hidden room."

"How is it a hidden room if you know where it is?" Shuri asked, curiously.

"It's just a name we call it," Strange said, smoothly.

"There's a tank filled with exotic fish just outside of it," Peter told her. "I can't even think what it would cost to replace them – tell me didn't catch any."

"We caught him before he did any damage." The doctor didn't bother to point out that the fish in the tank weren't any species that were found on the planet and as such weren't going to be replaced. Luckily the cloak had caught on to what he was doing. "We caught him, luckily for _him_ – since the fish in that particular tank are predatory and big enough that a little guy like him might have just been a snack."

Peter shook his head.

"He's okay?"

"He's fine. We've taken measures to block that area off to him, now that he's shown an interest in it."

"Thanks."

They switched the topic to the demonstration going on after dinner at the compound. Strange had seen them before – he'd watched one with Peter, once – but he was going to come because he was curious how the boy's abilities would be put to use on the 'battlefield' when he wasn't all that much faster at running than the others – although he was stealthy and strong. It wasn't like there were a lot of buildings he could swing from, either.

Steve was a genius tactician, though, so Strange was definitely interested. He'd be secretly rooting for Natasha's team, however. He was sure it was part of the boyfriend responsibility, after all.

They ate more than was probably good for them, and hung out talking with the others until Tony finally told them they'd better get going if they wanted to beat all the serious league bowlers who would end up at the bowling alley to loosen up before their bowling competitions which usually happened in the evening. Peter nodded, and gathered his friends, handing Ned the valet ticket for the sedan but hanging back because he was sure that Tony would have last minute instructions for him.

He did.

"If there's no open lanes, I don't want you guys loitering there, okay? Just come home and we'll find something else to keep them occupied."

"It's usually not too bad this time of day," Peter said looking at his watch. "If they're busy, though, can we go to the_ puppy place_? Azoru seemed to have fun with Jack and Nick Furry yesterday."

Tony looked at Pepper and Natasha. Both women shrugged, so he echoed it.

"Yeah. I don't see why not. No bringing any of them _home_, though."

Peter smiled.

"Not a chance."

"Good. We'll see you back home then. Don't stay out too late – dinner's at 7 o'clock."

The boy nodded and leaned over and kissed Pepper.

"We'll be there."

OOOOOO

They ended up at the puppy place, after all. There was a waiting list a mile long for any lanes at the bowling alley and Ned said he'd rather spend the afternoon covered in puppies than fighting for space in a humid, noisy room. Shuri agreed with him and when asked, Azoru found the idea of being able to spend the day covered in puppies far more appealing than rolling balls down the same greased piece of wood flooring over and over hoping to hit some pins.

So they'd gone. It didn't take much to convince Peter; he was a big fan of the place, and they knew him well there, by now.

"This is where Tony got Lila's pony," Ned told the Wakandans as they pulled into the place.

"_Peter_ Pony," Shuri said, with a smile.

Peter grinned.

"Yup." He looked at Azoru. "You guys don't _have_ a lot of dogs, do you? I didn't see any while we were out visiting the tribes."

"No. There are wild dogs, but even _they_ are rare."

"We have none in the capitol, either," Shuri said. "It is too bad, really, they would liven the place up – like Jack does for the compound."

"Well, plenty of puppy loving coming your way," Ned told them, holding the door for them as Peter led them inside. "Little puppies, big puppies, all fuzzy and excitable."

Peter smiled at the woman manning the desk.

"Four of you?"

"Yes, please. In the same arena," he added, before she could ask.

Ten minutes later, they were situated in a small room, all of them on the floor, waiting expectantly. A minute after that, the first little nose appeared through the doggy door in the wall and Shuri squealed, happily.

OOOOOOO

"Tony's going to _kill_ me…"

"Why?"

"Because I have no willpower."

Shuri smiled, looking at the puppy that had fallen asleep with his head on her lap and the rest of his large body nestled between Peter and herself.

"I do not think he will blame you for me asking you to buy me a puppy. I bought you _goats_, remember?"

"It's not quite the same… I wasn't _keeping_ them."

"He is _cute_, Peter," Shuri said. "Have I thanked you?"

"You think _Tony's_ going to kill you?" Ned said, petting the puppy that was settled between him and Azoru – this one equally large and loving up the to Jabari noble. "Wait until they get home and _T'Challa_ sees them… Or Azoru's folks."

"My father will be _pleased_," Azoru said, smiling as the large breed puppy licked his face. "She will be a welcomed addition to my family – and my little sisters will love her and make much of her when I am not around to do so."

"T'Challa will not mind, either," Shuri assured Peter, once more looking down at the puppy – almost identical to the one that Azoru and Ned were petting. Which made sense since they were brother and sister. "And if he _does_, I will remind him that I have never had a pet and make sad faces until he capitulates."

Peter smiled at that, but was pretty sure it was going to work.

"Yeah… hopefully that works on Tony, too…" he said. "Otherwise, I'm a dead man."

"Just hide behind _Pepper_," Ned suggested.

OOOOOOO

Tony and Pepper were both waiting for them when they arrived back at the compound. It was habit for Tony to do so whenever Pepper or Peter were driving in; it was his way of having a few minutes to connect with them – as well as a chance to make sure they were actually home safe. Pepper was there because Tony was, and because she liked the quiet time together while they leaned on one of the cars in the garage and chatted while waiting.

When the doors opened and Peter drove the sedan in, both of them were sitting on the tailgate of the pickup, but got up when Peter pulled up and stopped in the next space. Tony frowned when he realized there were two extra faces watching him and Pepper, and both were a lot furrier than the rest.

"I am _not_ seeing what I'm seeing," he muttered. "Right?"

She smiled.

"Are you seeing two _puppies_ and one guilty looking 16-year-old?"

"Yes."

"That's what I'm seeing."

Ned was first out of the car, with Azoru and Shuri right behind him. The two Wakandans carefully let the puppies out, holding the leashes that were attached to harnesses. Both puppies were large – bigger even than Jack and Nick Furry had been at the same age – black and furry.

"Hey, Mr. Stark. Pepper," Ned greeted them, going to the back of the car and waiting for Peter to pop the trunk – which he did.

"Ned…"

Tony looked at Shuri, who grinned, cheerfully.

"Tony! Look what Peter bought me. Isn't he cute?"

Pepper knelt down in front of the puppy, already crooning soft baby talk to him, making his tail wag, crazily.

"Yeah. He's _something_…"

Azoru brought the other puppy over, as well, smiling broadly. It was the happiest that he'd looked since he'd arrived, Stark thought, absently, looking down as the newest arrival also went to say hello to Pepper.

"Peter bought me a puppy, as well. A magnificent gift."

"Does T'Challa know?" Tony asked Shuri.

"I am going to go call him, right now," she said. "To make sure he has all the supplies we will need at hand when we return home."

She hesitated, though, as Peter got out of the car, watching as Ned pulled two bags of puppy kibble from the trunk and a couple of bags that obviously held supplies geared toward those puppies.

"I'll take this to your guys' rooms."

"Thank you, Ned," Shuri said, as Azoru went to help, leaving _his_ puppy's leash with the girl, as well.

"I can explain," Peter said, looking at Tony and Pepper.

Stark raised an eyebrow, while Pepper just smiled, taking one of the leashes from Shuri and crooning down at the puppy on the other end.

"What was the last thing I said to you?"

"No bringing puppies home."

_"And...?"_

"Funny story..."

"I'm listening."

"We went bowling. But they were _busy_."

"Yes…?"

"And then we decided to go to the puppy place."

_"Obviously."_

"And there were puppies…"

"Which was expected."

"Yeah. But these two were just getting old enough that they weren't going to be at the puppy place anymore. And Shuri said he was cute. And asked what happened to them when they weren't used at the puppy place."

"And the man told me that they _ate_ them," Shuri said.

"But he was just _joking_," Peter added, quickly. "We know better, of course. But they _do_ sell them."

"Which is how Steve and Clint got Jack and Nick," Tony reminded him. "I'm waiting for the _punchline_, Peter."

"Well… Shuri said she'd like one of them."

"_And…?"_

"And… so… I kind of _bought_ it for her."

Pepper snorted, which earned her a look from Tony. She smirked.

"And the _other one_? Did Azoru flash you a cute look and ask for a puppy, too?"

"Oh. No. He just said that he thought it would be sad for Shuri's puppy to be the only American dog in Wakanda."

"And Ned pointed out that a true host would buy his guest a puppy if he wanted one so badly," Shuri added.

"So, I bought that one, too."

"Come on, Shuri," Pepper said, smiling. "Let's go get these two settled in. We'll need carriers for them for their flight and we'll want to make sure they have any supplies you might need for them…"

The two walked off, leaving Peter and Tony alone, looking at each other.

"_Seriously?"_

Peter shrugged.

"They're going home _tomorrow_…" he pointed out.

"And you're going to miss her."

"Yeah. I mean, a _little_. Yeah."

Stark smiled.

"I brought a _pig_ home. I can't even judge. But if T'Challa complains it's up to _you_ to explain the whole guest and host thing. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Come on. We'll go see if they need any help settling them in."


	119. Chapter 119

_A/N Sorry guys. It was a day of doctor appointments. I wanted to have this out sooner._

OOOOOOO

They made it as far as the VIP rooms when Peter received a call on his watch from Steve asking for him to join in a briefing for the capture the flag demonstration. He smiled an apology to Tony and left him outside the corridor to Shuri's room. Scowling at being abandoned for something as _boring_ as capture the flag with all of the Avengers, Tony knocked on Shuri's door – and was ushered into the living room almost immediately.

The Wakandans were both there, along with Pepper and Ned and the two puppies.

"Where's Peter?" Pepper asked, looking at him with mock suspicion. "You didn't kill him and bury him out behind the jet landing pad, did you?"

"No. He's _alive_. He was with me until Steve called him away for capture the flag briefing."

"_Cool_," Ned said, clearly impressed with the idea that his best friend was going to be running drills with the others. "What do you think of the puppies, Mr. Stark?"

Both of the puppies were lounging on the sofa in the room. Shuri was, as well, while Azoru was sitting on the arm of it, his hand running through the fur on the back of the one closest to him – which Tony assumed was the one Peter had bought him. Both of them were going to be huge animals – they were bigger than Jack already, and if they were at the puppy place, then he knew they weren't very old. They had large paws and intelligent eyes, but were probably just pretending, he decided.

"I think they're _big_, and adorable."

Shuri smiled.

"We have everything we need for them; kibble, collars, harnesses, leashes and food and water dishes."

"Did you call your brother, yet?"

"Not, yet." She didn't look concerned. "He will not mind."

"If, for some reason, he _does_ – or your parents say no," Tony added, looking at Azoru. "Then they come back _here_, okay?"

"Will your _pig_ not become jealous?" Azoru asked, looking serious, but there was a gleam of humor in his dark eyes.

"He'll get over it." He reached out and ran his fingers along the velvet ear of Shuri's. "Do they have _names_?"

Shuri shook her head.

"No. Not, yet. Do you have any suggestions?"

"None that your mothers would approve of," he told the girl. "Dinner's going to be ready in about an hour, so you can leave them here, or bring them with you – as long as they stay on their _leashes_. Fair?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"I'll meet you in the lounge." He looked at Pepper. "Coming, dear?"

They left, closing the door behind them, and Pepper smiled, taking his hand.

"They're cute."

"Yup."

"You're not _upset_, are you?"

"No. They're not _our_ puppies. Thank heaven. They're going to be _really_ big."

"A good breed for Africa, though, really. They look like all that fur would be an inconvenience, but it'll insolate them and keep them cool – as long as they're not in direct sun for too long. _And_ it'll keep them warm on the cold nights."

She knew a lot more about dogs than Tony did, obviously. _He_ hadn't even thought about any of that.

"I was just thinking that they'd need a pooper scooper."

Pepper snorted, delicately.

"That, too. It's not like Peter to do something so impulsive, though…"

"Yeah. Well, he's a _kid_. It's easy to forget that, sometimes, what with all he does and everything he's handling. They can be reckless. Especially when there's a pretty girl with big, doleful eyes involved."

"True."

"He doesn't go to the puppy place unsupervised, again, though."

"Agreed."

OOOOOO

Dinner was just the six of them, and Peter didn't stay long. He was excited, although he was trying to act nonchalant about the whole thing, and he told them that he didn't want to eat too much with all the running around that he was going to be doing. Ned tried to talk him into giving them the game plan that Steve had set up for his team, but he shrugged and told his friend that he'd been sworn to secrecy.

"The walls have ears," he reminded Ned, mysteriously.

Ned rolled his eyes.

"Can you say if you're doing offense or defense?"

"Nope. Nothing. Sorry. I have to go." Tony smiled, because he looked ready to self-combust, he was so excited. "Steve wants us in place before you guys start watching."

"Have fun," Tony said.

"Good luck," Shuri added.

He nodded and hurried away, leaving at the same time a few others did, as well.

"It is just a _game_, though, right?" Azoru asked. "Why the secrecy?"

"It's a game for _Peter_," Stark explained. "Right now, anyway. Because _he_ isn't an Avenger, yet. For the rest of them, it's training – even though it's being used as a demonstration for you and Shuri. It'll be videoed and Steve and Natasha will pick it apart for anything that can be used as a lesson."

"Including what Peter does?" Ned asked.

"Yeah. Both for his own personal growth as a part of a team, and to assist the veterans in learning how to handle a green kid in their midst."

"No _guns_, though, right?"

"No. It's capture the flag, true enough, but there's also an element of flag football," Tony said. "Everyone will have a personal flag on them. Red flags for one team, blue for the other. The trick is to get someone else's flag and protect your own – since you're considered out of the game if someone grabs your flag."

"And to capture the other _team's_ flag, as well," Pepper added.

"Just hand to hand?" Ned asked, pointedly. "No other kind of weapons? Sticks, or clubs?"

"This time it is, yes. Other times they use paintball guns, or laser tag simulations."

"It sounds exciting," Shuri said.

"I can be. Make sure you keep hold of your new puppies. Jack ran into the middle of one a couple of months ago and turned it into a melee. They'll try to chase anyone that moves."

"We will," Azoru assured him.

OOOOOOO

"Where are your puppies?"

Shuri smiled.

"We left them in the bathroom of my rooms. Pepper said that Tony's demonstration might scare them."

"I didn't think about that," Ned admitted, grinning. He was looking forward to seeing Ironman in action. "This is going to be _great_."

They were on the roof of the compound main hangar building, along with a large group of others and a couple of people with video recording devices. Shuri and Azoru had front row seats to the action, but with the many displays that were set up to allow everyone to see what was going on, there wasn't really a bad one. Pepper was with the teens, as well as Bruce, who had just arrived at the compound and had been interested.

The contest was going to encompass just the training field. Normally, the woods would be included as well – just to add a little more realism. This time it was pretty much going to be a battle royal. The blue team's flag was at the top of a pole on the north end of the field – maybe 30 feet up – and the red team's flag was on the south end on an equally high pole.

"_Two teams of twenty,"_ Tony's voice said, coming from a loudspeaker. _"First team to capture the other's flag is winner."_

There was a sudden crack – like a large firecracker – and Ned wasn't the only one on the rooftop to flinch, although there was also a cheer from those in the crowd who knew that was the sound that signaled the beginning of the game.

Everyone turned to look toward the field.

OOOOOO

"You got him?"

"_Yup."_

The HUD in the Ironman suit showed Tony everyone on both teams, which was fine. But, really, he wanted to keep track of Peter as he hovered above the low cloud cover to keep from being seen and maybe distracting anyone. He was ready for his demonstration – which would be soon after the competition – but right then, he was just hoping that Peter wouldn't do too badly and maybe get taken out quickly. He chided himself for being the typical nervous father, but that was exactly how he felt, just then.

The two teams were facing off, each by their own pole. Until Tony fired the shot that started the action. Then it was suddenly controlled chaos as most of the members of both teams headed toward the middle of the field – and the other team's flag.

Tony watched in his HUD as Peter joined those that were running. Obviously Steve had decided that Peter's natural quickness would work well on offense – or maybe the boy was just too energetic to keep still and use for defense. Whatever it was, he saw Peter run out with the others on his team, indistinguishable in the black uniform that he was wearing with blue trim, signifying his team affiliation. Right beside him, not surprising Tony, was Steve, and the two led their group directly into the middle of the group of red team members who came rushing at them.

It was a good thing he had Friday to help him keep it all in view, Tony admitted, because he would have lost track of who was who almost immediately otherwise. The two groups weren't shy about contact, and as the 'armies' collided in the middle of the field, Tony was able to keep track of Peter.

The boy was quick. As quick as Steve, even. The two weaved and worked their way through the rush of red players, moving impossibly fast, dodging hands that were grasping for their flag, and occasionally reaching out and snatching one as they went by. A sensor in each individual flag would sound when it disconnected, letting the wearer know that he or she had been 'killed'. The rule was, if your sensor went off, you dropped to the ground, immediately, confirming that you were out.

Peter and Steve and three others on the blue team made it through the initial rush. Four of the red team made it through to the blue team's side, Tony saw. Now it was up to the defenders. There were three defenders protecting the red flag. Which might have made it seem they were outnumbered and doomed to fail, but two of them were Clint and Natasha, and both were a match for any of those bearing down on them.

Tony watched the action at the blue flag only peripherally; _he_ was much more interested in seeing how Peter handled facing off against his friends at the red flag. The HUD separated them for him, even as Steve made a feint that immediately took out one of the red defenders, and then twisted to keep Natasha from snatching his flag at the same time. Clint faced off against Peter, then, leaving Natasha for Steve.

Barton was a clever fighter; he had to be when sparring against people who were a lot faster than he was, or stronger. He feinted, drawing Peter in and then grabbing for the flag on the boy's belt – only to find Peter had moved, and was rolling on the ground toward where Natasha and Steve were engaged in hand to hand with dizzying quickness – almost too fast for even Tony to watch. The boy's momentum brought him right into the middle of that fray, which Steve had expected, and Natasha hadn't. She reacted by jumping him and turning to reach for Peter's flag as he went by, and Peter dodged her when she jerked her body sideways to avoid Steve's sudden grab for her own flag.

The moment she was distracted, Peter was scrambling to his feet at the base of the pole and climbing it, followed by Clint, who saw what he was up to, immediately, and moved to catch him. Peter was almost to the top and reaching for the red flag when Clint grabbed his boot and used his weight to throw the boy off balance. One hand on the pole, the other scrambling for purchase while he swung, Peter's momentum threw both him and Clint sideways, and Barton lost his grip on the pole and was only holding Peter. His own momentum carried him past the pole where he might have been able to catch himself, and he fell, losing his grip on Peter with a muffled curse. The boy reacted instantly, activating his web shooter and tagging Clint's arm, bringing him back to the pole, and then looking back up toward the red flag, reaching for it.

Just as a cheer went up from the other side of the field and they all looked over and saw someone at the top of the blue team's pole, waving the blue flag, triumphantly.

"Damn."

"_Language_."

Peter rolled his eyes, and looked down at Clint, breathing a little harder than normal, but otherwise fine.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Barton said, wiping his brow, with exaggerated relief. "Thanks for the assist, Peter Pony."

"Next time I'm just going to let you _fall_, Arrow Guy."

They both grinned, and climbed down the pole to meet with the others.


	120. Chapter 120

There wasn't time to debrief, yet. All Steve and Natasha did was make sure that Peter hadn't taken any injury and then make sure everyone on their teams were accounted for and moved off the field and into the compound. As they were doing that, targets were being set up on the far side of the field, closer to the tree lines. Some were small, many were a little bigger than a refrigerator and the final one was a small shed.

"We're ready?" Tony asked Friday.

_"Whenever. All participants are clear of any blast radius and the targets are set."_

"And Peter's alright?"

_"Vitals are fine."_

"Let's go, then."

As the crowd on the roof of the compound and the group of capture the flag participants inside the hangar watched the Ironman suit suddenly appeared out of the clouds above them. Stark roared overhead, making a flyby and double-checking the all clear once more. Then he screamed back in from the north end of the field and activated the mini missiles on his forearm, sending a volley of them at the smaller targets, first. They went up in small explosions and he went by them and he vanished in the clouds once more.

Only to return – this time coming from the south and taking out the medium sized targets with equal precision. Again, he vanished, utilizing the cloud cover, even though he didn't really need it. I made for a better show, though, and Tony loved to put on a good show, after all.

The final strafing run came right over their heads and the people on the roof actually felt the thunder from his passing in their bones as he took out the last target with a well-controlled explosion that looked far more thrilling and dangerous than it actually was. Tony wasn't about to risk hurting someone just to show off, after all.

Ironman vanished before the explosion even cleared and the people on the roof cheered, despite him not being there to hear it.

OOOOOOO

"That was _exciting_," Shuri said as they gathered in the lounge.

Her eyes were bright and cheerful, but hers weren't the only one. Between watching the combatants on the field and then all of the explosions and actually _seeing_ Ironman in action, Azuro and Ned were both practically breathless, as well.

"They put on a good show when they try," Pepper agreed, gesturing for them to sit down and smiling a thank you to Strange, who brought over coffee for the two adults.

"That, they do," the sorcerer said. "I assume they'll come join us?"

"They'll _debrief_, first," Ned said, knowledgably. "Then they could."

He assumed they would _want_ to.

Before anyone could reply to that, Tony walked through the door, glanced around, spotted them and headed their direction, stopping only briefly to talk to a couple of people who stopped him on the way. He reached the table, leaned down to press a kiss against Pepper's cheek before sitting beside her, and looking at the kids. The Wakandans, in particular.

"Well? How did it look?"

"It was amazing," Shuri told him. "Your suit is very impressive."

Stark nodded.

"Yeah. Each incarnation gets better than the next. I carry a lot more firepower than I used tonight, obviously, but it was a chance to give you guys an idea of what it's capable of doing."

Not that they really _had_ to see it, but why not give the visitors a thrill? He knew Shuri was a huge Avengers fan, and she'd had a chance to see them in action – for the most part. Shy of asking Thor to drop by and convincing Bruce to pull the _other guy_ out, it was as close as they were going to get.

"It was exciting," Azoru said, using Shuri's earlier phrase. "The battle was so chaotic."

"They usually are," Stark pointed out. "Not like in the movies where everyone waits and goes after a person one at a time; these kinds of scenarios are to give the people a chance to experience how it really can be – without the _real_ danger, though."

"Had me a little concerned when Clint almost came off the flagpole," Ned disagreed. "It wasn't high enough that he would have died or anything, but I bet it would have hurt a bit – especially if he'd landed on his _head_, or something."

"True. Still better than someone _shooting_ at him."

"Good point."

OOOOOO

Peter sat in the large conference room with the other members of his team, unable to hide his excitement that he was there, at all. Peter Parker, sitting in on an Avenger debriefing. After being included in a training run. It was pretty heady stuff for a sixteen-year-old.

They were all in a pretty good mood, despite the fact that they'd lost. It had been a near thing, after all, and they knew that sometimes defeat came just that fast. One of the reasons they trained so much. The ones who had been 'killed' were subjected to the good-natured ribbing of those teammates who hadn't died on the battlefield and since he had survived, Peter didn't have to deal with that teasing – although he didn't join in on the teasing, himself.

Steve walked into the room, looking at the team and standing up in front of them.

"Any injuries?"

Everyone shook their heads. He looked at Peter – even though he and Natasha had both checked with the boy as soon as he and Clint came down from the flagpole. Peter smiled and shook his head, as well.

"Good. The tactic worked well," he said, smiling at the success that they'd had using Peter to bowl into the battle between him and Natasha and distract her and Clint both enough to give him a chance to go for the flag. They'd come up with it rather offhand, so it was a first-time attempt. "Next time we try it, we might want to do a little more tangling before we make the attempt on the flag. Next time we might not have Peter, who climbs faster than most of us. We older guys need the extra head start."

There were laughs, and Steve pulled up the video that he'd gotten from the files.

"We'll go through it all once, then you're free to go."

It was Sunday night, after all, and he knew they all had other things that they needed to do.

OOOOO

"_There's_ my hero…"

Peter turned at the sound of Clint's voice, just as he and Steve were leaving the briefing room, right behind the rest of the team. Barton and Natasha were waiting at the side of the door, both still in their team uniforms, as well. He shrugged.

"Hey."

"You okay?" Natasha asked, checking him over, once more. "Nothing you missed, before?"

"No. I'm fine."

"Did you have fun?"

"Yeah. It was great," he said, honestly, unable to hide that. He was disappointed that he hadn't been fast enough to win the flag for his team, but he hadn't hesitated to allow the time needed to make sure Clint hadn't fallen. That was just the way things had to be. "Thanks for letting me join in."

"It went well," Natasha said.

"How many kills did you get?" Clint asked, curiously.

"Three," Steve answered for him as they started walking toward the lounge. "They probably didn't even see him _coming_, either. Peter's _quick_."

"Better than the two I got," Clint said, impressed. "Of course, Nat here had _six_, but no surprise there. She's insanely fast."

Peter nodded his agreement. He'd always been impressed by her, of course, but it had been so much more amazing to see her in action during the game. Even though he hadn't had a lot of time to gawk at the time. He'd watch the video over and over, he was sure.

"It was exciting," he said.

"And you actually got to put some of those ninja skills to use, right?" Clint asked, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder, fondly.

"Yeah. That, too."

No sense training if you couldn't eventually apply the abilities you were honing, after all.

They were still all smiling at that when they entered the lounge a short walk later, and saw the others seated and waiting for them. Tony wasn't the only one to smile when they walked over.

"Hey. _Good job_."

The boy smiled as he sat down between Pepper and Tony – making himself the meat in a Stark sandwich, he thought to himself, amused.

"Thanks. Did you have a chance to watch it?"

"Watched it all from above. Friday's going to load it all into the system, so you can see what she recorded, also."

"Can _I_ have a copy?" Ned asked, hopefully. "There isn't anything secret about what they were doing, right?"

Tony looked at Natasha and Steve, and they both shrugged. It was a training video, yeah, but Ned was right; there wasn't anything secret about it.

"You can, but it doesn't get posted on social media or anything," the billionaire said. "It's for your eyes, only."

"Sweet. Thanks."

"May I have a copy as well?" Shuri asked. "My brother would be interested to see what I watched – and of course, what your Avengers can do."

"Sure." He smiled, winking at Peter. "Should have let Clint _fall_, son. Then you'd have captured the flag."

Peter smiled, well aware that Tony didn't mean it. There were many more important things than winning, after all. At least, in this case there were.

"Lila would never have forgiven me," he pointed out.

"He'd have landed on his _head_," Natasha said, from where she was now seated next to Stephen. "It wouldn't have hurt him, at all."


	121. Chapter 121

It wasn't really a _party_, per se. But it _was_ in every sense of the word.

After all, it was the last day before the Wakandans left. Their jet was scheduled to arrive in the early afternoon, and since it was bringing a relief crew, they wouldn't need any turnover to rest the pilots and would be taking off before dinner. Pepper had made certain to double check with the bartenders in the lounge that there would be plenty of snacks and drinks laid on – especially for a Sunday – so that no one would have anything to complain about.

They separated a little. Ned and Azoru had gone with Clint and Steve to play darts, which had turned into quite a competition – which Clint wasn't a participant, merely the judge. Natasha and Stephen had left, entirely; he had things to get done at the sanctum and she'd taken him to get a download of the evening's competitions and Tony's Ironman demonstration and neither had returned. No one mentioned it – and probably Peter, Pepper and Tony were the only to notice.

_Maybe_.

Shuri sat at the table with Tony, Pepper and Peter, simply enjoying the time that she had with them. Tony had left for a few minutes, and had returned with Ironpig in his arms, but the little pig had settled, easily, and was simply enjoying the attention he was getting. Shuri sighed; the compound was so much more relaxed than the endless formality of the palace back home – for obvious reasons – and she enjoyed the freedom of not really needing to watch everything that she said and did, and who she said and did it in front of. The Avengers were not going to judge her, after all.

"Are you going to work, tomorrow?" Peter asked Pepper, curiously, reaching out, absently, and scratching Ironpig's ear.

"I _am_. There are a couple of important meetings I need to sit in on. I'll make a half day of it, though, so I don't miss seeing Azoru and Shuri off."

The girl looked almost depressed at the thought, Tony noticed. He could understand, too. She hadn't been away from home long enough, yet, to miss it like they had missed the compound when they'd been in Wakanda. She'd miss Peter, and probably Ned, and might even miss having the Avengers to keep her company. He knew that _he_ was going to miss her. She was a smiling, happy ball of cheer, as far as he was concerned.

"Do you think we could figure out a way to let Shuri see the _tower_?" Peter asked, hesitantly. They all looked at him, and he shrugged. "When we first met – in _Syracuse_ – she mentioned that she'd been hoping T'Challa would take her to the city – so she could see the tower – but he _didn't_, for security reasons. She's so close to it, right now… maybe she could get a look?"

The girl looked surprised by the request – or maybe that he remembered that conversation – and then she looked at Tony, her eyes hopeful, but uncertain, as if she were afraid to get her hopes up.

"Do you think _Azoru_ would be interested?" Tony asked.

Shuri shook her head.

"He had not heard of the Avengers until it was announced you were coming to Wakanda and who you were affiliated with. To him it would just be another building in a city filled with them."

"But it _would_ mean something to Shuri," Peter said, looking from Pepper to Tony, his own eyes entreating. "I mean, maybe she could go in with Pepper, or something. _I_ wouldn't have to go, or anything, just you know, a chance for her to see it – maybe even get to take her picture in front of it…?"

Tony looked at Pepper.

"What do _you_ think, momma?"

She looked at Shuri, and then at Peter, and then turned to Tony.

"He's _right_; she's this close and wants to see it. It would be heartless to keep her from having the chance. Why don't you drive me in, tomorrow, and Shuri can go with you. Then she can have a chance to see it – you can give her the 5-cent tour, and let her have a few pictures."

Shuri couldn't help herself; she reached over and hugged Pepper, excitedly. Which made Tony and Peter both smile.

"Sounds good. Peter and Ned can keep Azoru occupied – you could take him fishing, or something."

"Yeah." Peter's smile broadened. "I'll run it by them, later. Depending on what he wants to do – and if the puppies settle enough to allow us to do anything like that. We might just end up out in the field chasing them around and wearing them out before their flight."

It was one thing to keep them inside in a small space to make sure they didn't get injured or in the way during the competition and the demonstration, but it would be wrong to make them stay inside just because no one wanted to spend time with them. Besides, Jack was back, now that Clint had returned, and that would give the puppies another dog to play with.

"Thank you," Shuri said, smiling. She hugged Tony, too, which made him grin.

"Don't thank me, _yet_," he warned her. "You're not going to get to sleep in, in the morning. We're leaving by seven, which means you get up early to eat, or your breakfast is something from a drive thru on the way home."

"I will make sure I am up," she assured them both, too excited, now, to sit still. "I am going to go take my puppy out, before bed, so he does not make a mess on the floor."

"Good."

Of course, he was a puppy, so chances were that he _would_ – and that he probably already _had_.

"I will be right back," Shuri told them, standing up. "I will see if Azoru wants me to take his out, as well."

They watched her walk over to where Azoru was playing darts with the others, and Pepper looked at Peter.

"That was a very nice thought, sweetheart."

He nodded.

"I just remembered what she said – _before_, I mean. I know I couldn't have taken her in to look at it, or anything, but I thought she would like to see it."

"She'll love it," Tony assured him. "I'll make sure of it."

Which made Peter smile, but before he could respond Shuri was back, hugging Peter from behind, still smiling, hugely.

"Do you want to come help me take the puppies outside? Perhaps you can show me where Steve takes Jack?"

"Sure."

She let him go and he got up, looking at them.

"I'll be back in a little while."

"No rush," Tony told him, reaching for Pepper's hand. "I have good company."

They watched as Shuri took Peter's hand and pulled him out the door, and Pepper shook her head.

"It's a toss up which one is going to miss the other more, I think."

"Shuri's going to miss him, more," Tony told her, with certainty.

"Why do you say that?"

"Peter's _clueless_."

"How so?"

"He hasn't blushed more than once around her," Stark pointed out. "She's done it at least a half dozen times that I've noticed."

Pepper smiled, and kissed his hand before letting go.

"Good point."

OOOOOO

The puppies were ecstatic to be released from the bathroom. Yes, they'd made a mess – more than one, Peter noticed, but they were young, still, and excitable. And it was nothing like the mess that Nutmeg had made of Peter's bathroom when left alone. They wrestled harnesses onto the puppies – which took a bit, since they thought they were chew toys and that it was a game, and to them it was – and then Peter took the leash for Azoru's puppy and Shuri took hers, and they grabbed up a couple of plastic bags – just in case – and headed for the closest exit.

"Thank you for suggesting the tower," she said. "I would not have dared ask."

"You're welcome." He smiled when Azoru's puppy decided she didn't want to walk any further and hit the brakes, front feet held stiffly in front of her and her rear on the floor, head thrown back, stubbornly. He simply scooped her up into his arms and nuzzled his face into her neck and ears, feeling her tail thump against his side as she wagged it, cheerfully. "Anything else you want to do that you're afraid to ask to be allowed to do?"

She hesitated, and then blushed and shook her head.

"No." They walked outside, and he set the puppy back on her feet, allowing the retractable leash to give her the full twenty feet of running room. "It must have been exciting to be allowed to join in on the capture the flag training with the others."

Peter nodded, smiling at the memory.

"It was. I know I'm not an Avenger, yet, but it feels like that's a step closer. If I can prove that I'm good enough to keep myself safe, they won't keep trying to protect me – and maybe even let me go on a mission, sometime."

"Tony is too protective of you to allow that."

"I know."

"Why did you not use your extra abilities to capture the other team's flag?" she asked, sitting down on the picnic table that was nearby as she watched her puppy weave back and forth with his sister. "You could have won."

"Because it wouldn't have been fair to the others. On _my_ team," he added. "I'm nothing special, really. I didn't work extra hard to be able to do the wall climbing or to be extra strong or fast. That was a _fluke_ – an accident. So, it wouldn't have been right for me to just force my way through the other team – or just knock over the pole and grab the flag. In a _real_ battle, yes, but not in a training scenario. I worked hard to learn how to defend myself, though, so I could use that ability – and I _did_. No one got my flag, and I managed to grab a couple of theirs. But I earned that skill, so it was okay to use it."

"I think you are special," she said.

Peter smiled, leaning into her side.

"You're my _friend_," he reminded her. "You _have_ to think I'm special. It's one of those rules. Just like I think that you're amazing."

The Wakandan princess sighed, rested her head on his shoulder and tucked the hand that wasn't holding her puppy's leash through his arm.

"I am your friend, Peter," she agreed.


	122. Chapter 122

"You look _tired_," Tony noted as Shuri settled herself into the back of the sedan the next morning, bright and early.

"I had trouble sleeping last night," she admitted.

"The puppy?" Pepper asked, smiling, as she buckled in beside Tony.

"He was not happy in the crate and was not afraid to make sure I was aware of it."

"So, what did you do?"

"Brought him to bed with me."

"Did it work?"

"He fell asleep, immediately. It took me a little longer. His paw kept finding my ear."

Which made both adults chuckle.

"What are you going to name him?" Tony asked, curiously, as they pulled out of the compound and headed for the road.

"I have not, yet, decided. I want something fun – but it cannot be too childish, since he will be a part of the palace life."

"So, not Droolius Caesar?"

She smiled.

"Probably not."

"Ozzie Pawsborne?"

Pepper snorted, and even though Shuri didn't understand the joke, she smiled, again.

"No. He needs something easy and commanding."

"So, not Peter Puppy?" Pepper asked.

"He would _kill_ me."

"_Lila's_ still alive," Tony pointed out, coming onto the highway. "She has Peter _Pony_."

"She is _nine_."

"True. What is Azoru naming his?"

"Natasha."

"_Really_?"

The princess nodded.

"She has impressed him, greatly, while we have been here, and it _is_ an exotic name – even without the association to Agent Romanoff. Perhaps I should name mine Steve."

"Or _Stephen_," Pepper said. "They _are_ a cute couple."

The topic changed from the puppies to the tower, since Shuri was excited to be getting a chance to see it. Tony gave the girl the background history of the building and what he had done with it since the battle of New York, and also told her about the tech that ran the place – which was far beyond any other building in the city – or the country, unless one counted the compound in that. The briefing was accompanied by visuals coming off a display in the back of the car and then a general layout was brought up.

Tony told her that he'd show her his workroom, Pepper's office and a couple of the R&D labs, but that there wasn't really any reason to waste time taking her to the executive restrooms, or anything. She smiled at that and peppered him – and sometimes, Pepper – with questions about the technology that he was working on for his suits.

"What kind of suit does Peter use for his _Spiderman_ pursuit?" she asked, curiously.

Stark frowned, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"How did you hear about that?"

"_He_ told me," she admitted. "But, in all fairness, he thought that _you_ had told me, when you were disclosing his abilities to my brother and myself. So it is not his fault."

"You understand it's a _secret_ identity for a reason, right?" the billionaire said, seriously. "If it got out who Spiderman was, Peter could be in danger. Or worse, _Ned_ or _MJ_."

"I _do_ understand," Shuri assured him. _Them_. "Truthfully, I have no one _tell_, really. I had never heard of Spiderman until Peter mentioned it – and then I had to google him, and look up YouTube videos. He really does _amazing_ things, though – considering they seem to be localized to one area. Unlike the Avengers."

"Yeah… Peter was doing the Spiderman thing before I met him. Trying to help out the little guy, he told me when I asked. And he was. Nothing earth shaking, but helping where he could."

"He saved a few lives," Pepper added.

Which made Tony smile, proudly.

"Yes, he did. And he has, _now_, too. He doesn't need the tech that I have in the Ironman suit to do what he's doing – and really, he needs a lot more flexibility than mine would allow."

"Does he use Nanotechnology?"

"No. I can't make a cloth outfit with miniature robots," Tony said. "And the metal wouldn't be flexible enough. The cloth that I use is a bastardization of some cotton, some rubber and a hybrid Kevlar, to make it bullet resistant. It'll absorb the force of a gunshot, or a fall – and he's taken a few of those."

"Would you be annoyed with me if _I_ were to try?" she asked. "Vibranium can be much more flexible, and it is metal and so if I added nanotechnology, it would afford him the ability to have the instant access your suit gives you."

Pepper frowned.

"You want to make Peter a _suit_?"

She nodded.

"I would like to try."

"With _Nanotech_?" Stark clarified.

"And _vibranium_," she said. "Yes."

He shrugged, mentally. There wasn't anything that he could do to stop her, really, was there? She wasn't under his control by any means, and he doubted even a word to her brother would deter her, if it was something that she truly wanted to do. Besides, she was brilliant, had access to some pretty impressive tech, and seemed truly interested in the idea of keeping Peter safe. It couldn't hurt.

"You understand no guns? No bombs, no missiles – nothing _lethal_. Peter's more of a _neighborhood_ crime fighter, not a killing machine."

"Yet he will kill when necessary."

"No."

She frowned.

"He killed Gerard and the men that tried to kill my brother and kidnap me."

"He doesn't _know_ it, though," Pepper told her. "And we're not telling him."

"He wasn't himself," Tony reminded her. "They had told him – _cruelly_ – that we were dead, and that kind of grief and anger will send anyone over the edge of what they normally are capable of doing. He's _not_ a killer."

"And we want to _keep_ it that way," Pepper added.

"So, no guns, okay?"

"Yes." She hesitated. "What will you say to him if he finds out what happened?"

"Same thing I just told you."

"I will not tell him."

"We appreciate that," Tony told her, sincerely. "When we're in my workroom, remind me, and I'll upload the specifications to the suit, and his shoe size."

Shuri chuckled.

"I have all the information from when I had him in my own lab, Tony. All his medical data is stored in my systems, so I will not need specifics on his body – only the equipment that he uses. Like the delivery mechanism for the material that he used to keep Clint from falling from the flagpole last night."

Damn, she was observant. He hadn't thought of having that edited out – and now, of course, it was too late.

"Remind me," he repeated.

She nodded.

OOOOOOO

"They look like they're having a good time," Natasha said, walking up to stand beside Steve, who was standing in the doorway of the compound, looking out at the field.

He nodded, watching as Ned, Azoru and Peter played an intricate game of tag with the two new puppies and Jack; involving a couple of lengths of knotty rope and a lot of barking and chasing, as well as some tumbling to the ground as feet and paws got tangled up.

"They've been at it for half an hour, now. I'm waiting to see who drops first; puppies or boys."

"My money is on the boys going down, first. I happen to know that Ned and Azoru stayed up late playing video games. They're probably tired."

"Not Peter?" Steve asked.

"No." She smiled, watching as Ned tripped and fell into a controlled roll – something that she'd taught him – and was immediately pounced on by Jack and one of the new puppies. "He stayed in the lounge talking to Pepper and Tony until they went to bed, and then walked me to my room after Stephen left, and said he was going to bed, too. Too much excitement from drilling with the Avengers can wear you out, you know?"

"Yeah." Rogers smiled. "He did good, though."

"Yes, he did. You'd have won if he'd been less concerned about Clint and more focused on winning."

"Winning wasn't the important thing, though," Steve pointed out. "He proved it, without even realizing it."

"I know."

They were both proud of the boy, and there was no hiding it from the other. Rogers smiled, though, changing the subject and giving her a sidelong glance.

"Did you hear what Azoru is naming his _puppy_…?"


	123. Chapter 123

"How's your brother-in-law doing?"

MJ rolled her eyes.

"_He's a nightmare. One little broken leg and all of the sudden he's a helpless child. Can't reach the remote, or tie his shoe or anything."_

"Are you going to be there much longer?"

"_At least a few more days. What's new?"_

"Peter got to run drills with the Avengers last night," Ned said, looking over his friend's shoulder to see MJ. "It was awesome. He almost captured their flag – except that Clint started to fall and Peter saved him, instead."

She frowned, looking surprised and a little worried.

"_Mr. Stark's allowing you to train with the others? Already?"_

Peter nodded, grinning.

"Yeah. It wasn't anything big; we were giving a demonstration for Shuri and Azoru, but it was exciting."

"And then Ironman came flying overhead and took out all these targets. Insane. You missed a show."

"_Sounds like it."_

"And Azoru and Shuri got puppies from the puppy place," Ned added. "Peter bought them. They're going to be huge. Azoru's named his Natasha."

She smiled.

"_What did Shuri name hers?"_

"We don't know, yet," Peter told her.

"_They're leaving today?"_

"Yeah. I wish they could stay a little longer – you didn't get a chance to hang out with them."

"_Next time, I hope."_ She turned her head to talk to someone they couldn't see and then turned back to her friends. _"I have to go – my mom wants to go to the store. I'll see you later, okay?"_

Peter nodded.

"When you get back, see if your folks will let you come for an overnight here. I want you to meet Tony's new pig."

"_I'll ask,"_ she promised, looking pleased at the invitation – although she rolled her eyes at the thought of Ironman having a pet _pig_, of all things_. "Tell Nutmeg hi for me."_

The phone call ended, and Ned turned to Peter.

"I want to buy your Playstation from you."

"What? Why?"

"Because I want to send Azoru home with it, and I don't have time to go buy him a new one before they leave – obviously. It's not fair that I got him hooked on the thing and now he won't be able to play it."

"You can _have_ it," Peter told him. "Just buy me a new one when you have a chance."

"Thanks."

Ned went to go find a bag and then get Peter's gaming system packed into it, and Peter went to find his guest in order to make sure there wasn't anything else that he wanted to do before they left.

OOOOOOOO

"Did we miss anything that you wanted to see?" Tony asked Shuri as they headed for the elevator.

She smiled, and shook her head.

"No. This was wonderful, Tony. _Thank_ you."

By necessity, the tour had been a short one, but Shuri had been taken to many areas of the tower that no one saw unless they were actually assigned to work there – and some places (like Tony's workroom) that no one ever saw, except friends and family. Which mostly meant _friends_, because Tony didn't have a lot of actual family.

She'd been extremely impressed with his workroom, which was much different than her own, as it was cluttered and filled with machinery, whereas hers was neat and tidy and relied more on displays and technology than robots and the like. It was exciting for her to be shown the varies parts of the Ironman suits that he had there, and even a princess had to be thrilled when he'd encased her arm in the metal of one of the gauntlets and allowed her to fire off a couple of virtual rounds from the repulser array.

A fangirl's dream in every sense of the word, really.

"You're _welcome_. Make sure you tell your brother that I was an _excellent_ host – so he invites me back to Wakanda for my anniversary."

Shuri nodded, looking at the security badge that had been made for her when they arrived at the tower. It had the SI logo, and her photo and was already a souvenir, as far as she was concerned.

"You and Pepper will always be welcomed."

It was his turn to smile.

"Not _Peter_?"

She rolled her eyes at his teasing.

"Him, too."

"Come on, kid. Friday tells me that the jet taking you guys home just checked in and is only an hour or so out. We probably won't make it back before they land."

OOOOOOO

Peter watched as the Wakandan jet hovered overhead, waiting for permission to land. Standing beside him was Steve and Natasha – representing the Avengers, since Tony wasn't back, yet, with Shuri. Karen had told the boy that they were on their way, but were still at least half an hour from the compound. Also with him were Azoru and Ned – although both puppies were penned up in the gym, just then, to keep them safe.

The jet landed, then, and there was a bit of a pause before the back opened. Peter knew that there was always an after flight checklist for the Quinjet, so he assumed that there was one for the Wakandan jet, as well. When the hatch did open, he wasn't the only one to be surprised at the figure that stood at the top of the ramp that had formed.

Azoru stepped forward, to stand next to Steve.

"Uncle."

M'Baku nodded; first to Peter and the Avengers and then to his nephew.

"Nephew."

He stepped down the ramp and offered Peter his hand in greeting, and the boy smiled.

"I wish I'd have known you were coming," he said. "Pepper and Tony aren't here, yet, but they're on the way. We'd have had something more formal set up."

"It is not necessary," M'Baku told him, pleasantly. "I am delivering your commissions, personally, to make sure they arrived without harm."

"Wow. Thanks." He was surprised that they were already completed – and excited that they were. Peter turned to Steve and Natasha, and introduced them. "This is Steve Rogers, and Natasha Romanoff. Guys, this is M'Baku. He's Azoru's uncle and also leader of the Jabari tribe."

"Welcome to New York," Steve said, offering the Jabari his hand.

"Thank you."

"Can we offer you the hospitality of the compound?" Natasha asked, smiling as she took his hand, as well.

The Jabari nodded, his eyes not missing anything as he looked around.

"That would be appreciated. Thank you." He turned to the few Wakandans who had followed him down the ramp, a fairly bulky crate held between two of them. "Peter? What do we do with your delivery?"

"Oh. Let's take them to my room, please. I'll show them where it is, and then bring them to the lounge so they can relax, as well."

M'Baku nodded, and Ned – ever curious – stayed with Peter and the two Wakandans holding the container, while the others all went into the nearest entrance.

"What is it?" he asked, curiously.

"Some wood carvings," Peter replied, gesturing politely for the Wakandans to follow him and Ned as they headed inside, as well. "You saw the ones they gave me for tribute, but these I had commissioned, special."

"For what?"

"One for Tony and Pepper, one for Stephen and Wong and one to hang in the lounge."

"Cool."

"Yeah. It cost me six goats, but I'm looking forward to seeing how they turned out."

They led the Wakandans to Peter's quarters, and the boy asked them to set the crate down in the space near his TV.

"Open it up," Ned said, running his hand along the fasteners. "Let's take a look."

Peter looked at the Wakandans, thinking that they might prefer to go get their refreshments, rather than wait around, but one nodded.

"We will want to make sure they arrived intact," he said. "If not, we will need to have it replaced."

Good point. He hit the fastener on his side, while Ned unlatched the one he was standing beside. Inside the crate were three bundled, wrapped with the soft woolen fabric that the Jabari were also so well known for. A note fell out, and Ned reached down and picked it up.

"Peter, here are your carvings. If you desire more, simply tell Princess Shuri and we will comply. Jad."

Peter and Ned pulled the first one from the stack and leaned it against the wall. When he removed the fabric protecting it, he smiled.

"Wow. I know where that one's going."

It was about the same size as Peter's big screen TV, and not much thicker, really. The wood was beautiful and had an image of the Avenger A carved in the middle with subtle designs coming out from it. It was exactly what Peter had wanted.

"Yeah. The lounge. It should look pretty good, huh?"

"It's awesome."

They pulled second one, and Ned liked it, just as much – and assumed that Wong and Strange would, as well. This one was the image that was so prevalent in the window at the sanctum, and was just as impressive as the first.

"I don't know if they'll want to hang it up, or not," Peter said, admiring it. "But it's great."

"Yeah."

The third was the Stark Industries logo, and was for Pepper and Tony, Peter was pleased by how the carving turned out, and wasn't shy about stating it.

"Worth every goat I paid," he said, making Ned smile.

"They're going to love it."

"Yeah."

"_Friday says that Tony and Shuri are pulling into the compound,"_ Karen interrupted, startling the two Wakandans, but making Peter nod.

"Ask her to let them know we're going to be in the lounge, please."

"_Will do."_

Peter covered the wood carvings and nodded to the Wakandans.

"Let's get you guys something to drink."

"Are you going to show them your carvings?" Ned asked as they all went to the door.

"Later. I don't want it to overshadow the visit."

"Cool. I get to be here, though?"

"Yeah."


	124. Chapter 124

They had lunch in the lounge. It wasn't a private affair; there were several people there to see Shuri and Azoru have their final meal in the compound – and who had wanted to meet Azoru's uncle. M'Baku was good about it – he _was_ a noble, after all, and used to being introduced, even if the occasion wasn't so formal. Peter found himself sitting between Natasha and Shuri and since the assassin was gently teasing Azoru about the choice of name for his new puppy (whom M'Baku had heard about but hadn't yet _met_) that gave the boy a chance to focus his attention on his favorite princess.

"Did you think of a name for _your_ guy, yet?" he asked her, amused when Ned started telling M'Baku about the video games he and Azoru had been playing. He was fairly sure the Jabari leader wasn't that interested, but Ned was determined enough to make it sound amazing. "Can't go home without a name. How will you introduce him to your family?"

"I will say 'Mother, brother, this is _Tony_ . The puppy that Peter purchased for me as a proper host will'."

Peter smiled and looked over at Tony, wondering if he knew the name Shuri had chosen for her dog. He was going to be famous in Wakanda, now.

"That's a great name."

"It is short enough that my people will have no trouble learning it, and not too cute, like _Fuzzy_, or _Patches_."

"I like it."

"You are not disappointed that I did not name him after you?"

"I _bought_ him. I don't think you _should_ have named him after me. Tony and Natasha. Two good names, really. Did you see everything that you wanted to see at the tower?"

"I saw Tony's workroom," she said, excitedly. "He allowed me to wear a gauntlet."

She spent the rest of the meal telling him about the visit to the tower and the souvenirs that she had picked up for her mother and brother to go with the ones that Peter and Ned had helped her and Azoru pick out during the few times they'd been out of the compound. He listened, keeping his hand nears hers when he could, thinking that he was really going to miss having her to hang out with.

OOOOOOOO

After lunch, Tony and Azoru showed M'Baku around the compound, while Peter walked with Shuri to her quarters to help her bring her things to the jet. He noticed that she wasn't being very talkative, however, as he sat on the arm of the sofa in her quarters and watched her pack.

"Are you alright?" he asked, watching her roll up a couple of souvenirs into her Captain America t-shirt. "You're quiet."

She nodded, and looked over at him.

"I will miss you."

It was his turn to nod.

"I'm going to miss you, too. I'll call you, though. You know that, right? Any time anything interesting happens, you'll be the first to know."

She smiled at that.

"When you are out doing your _Spiderman_ thing, you mean?"

Peter shrugged.

"If you're interested in that. It's not usually very exciting, though. I go stand on a building somewhere and wait to see if there's anything going on that I can help with."

"I heard about the man you saved from drowning."

"How? Did Tony tell you?"

"No. I found the news article. That must have been scary – considering I know you do not swim very well."

"Yeah. But I'm _better_ – and Clint's going to teach me how to pull someone out of the water the right way. He used to be a lifeguard."

"I spoke with Tony today about making you a new suit."

"He's going to make me a new suit?"

"No. _I_ am. One involving nanotech and vibranium – if I can work it out. One that will keep you safer than the one you have, currently."

"You don't need to do that, Shuri," Peter told her. "I'm not doing anything that needs something that amazing. Usually I'm just finding people who are lost and giving them directions, or helping people cross the street."

"I _want_ to," she told him. Shuri shrugged and leaned against the back of the same part of the sofa that he was sitting on the arm of. "Call it an honor thing, if you like. You saved my life, so it is my responsibility to make sure you are safe."

"You helped Stephen fix the herbal thing," he reminded her. "That probably makes us even."

"No," she said. "It means that you are responsible for keeping me safe, as well. When I come back to visit, I will hold you to that. Fair?"

"Of course." He reached for her hand. "But make sure it's before your _birthday_ thing, okay? That's too far away."

Shuri nodded.

"I will have to deliver the suit when it is finished. Perhaps then? Maybe we will impose upon Dr. Strange to open one of his instant portals to bring me to you."

"That sounds great." And would save either of them a long flight. He hesitated. "You know if you ever _need_ anything, you just have to call me, right? I'll come running."

Her expression softened and she leaned over to hug him.

"Thank you, Peter."

He held her close, thinking that it would be a bad thing if anyone were to walk into her rooms just then and see them like this, but he couldn't help that he didn't let her go, right away. She seemed to need the comfort – probably because she was going home.

"You're welcome. Thank _you_ for being such a good friend. Even if I'm not _husband_ material."

"You would make a fine husband," she assured him. "Despite your medical condition. MJ is lucky."

He frowned at his Spider situation being called a _condition_, but shrugged it off, and was able to give her a slight smile when he let her go.

"MJ is probably going to come to her senses any day and leave me for someone normal who doesn't stress her out all the time, and I will grow old alone and bitter."

That made Shuri smile.

"Normal is not that interesting. At least you will be allowed to pick your wife without worrying about what the entire country will think of your choice – and will not need to worry if she is after your title or fortune."

"To a _point_."

"True." He was not a _poor New Yorker_, after all. She smiled, realizing that their farewell was becoming maudlin, and hugged him, again. "_Poor us_."

Peter chuckled.

"I'll tell you what; we'll do what they always do in the movies."

"What is that?" she asked pulling away when he let her go.

"We'll make a pact."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." He held her hand. "If we're not married – to _someone else_, I mean – when we hit thirty, I'll marry _you_, and you'll marry _me_. That way we don't grow old alone – and don't disappoint our parents. We'll tell them it's an _honor_ thing, so they have to go along with it. Fair?"

Shuri nodded, smiling.

"Fair. I accept your proposal, Peter Parker," she told him, formally.

"Good." He kissed her, sealing the deal, and then blushed when he realized that she probably hadn't expected _that_ to be part of the pact. "Come on," he told her, glad she didn't look annoyed with him. "I'll help you with your things and then we'll go fetch Tony and play with him until you have to leave. Your _puppy_ Tony, that is, not my _dad_, Tony."

She smiled, and nodded.

"Sounds like a plan."


	125. Chapter 125

"Do you have everything packed?"

Shuri nodded, giving Tony a somewhat mournful look.

"I do. Thank you for having me," she told him – _again_. "It was fun."

His smile was almost the same one he reserved for Peter, only a little softer. Before she realized what he was up to, he'd pulled her into a hug and tucked her head under his chin, squeezing her tightly.

"You and your brother are both welcome, anytime, honey. It can even just be for a weekend getaway, if you need it." He let her go, and she wiped her eyes. "Remember; you know about Stephen's instant portals, now, so we're not above imposing when we want and getting you here. Understand?"

"Yes."

"And bring _Tony_ here," he said, reaching down and rubbing the puppy's ears. "He can hang out, too."

"I will."

Shuri turned to Pepper, who hugged her, too, pressing a kiss against the princess' cheek.

"It's nice to have company," she told Shuri. "A little buffer against all the crazy testosterone. Thank you for coming."

"You are welcome."

It wasn't the official goodbyes that would be done at the Wakandan jet; they were in the lounge, while the Wakandans were loading the last of the luggage and souvenirs onto the plane before they loaded their guests.

"Where's Peter?" Tony asked Pepper, surprised that the boy hadn't come for the informal goodbye with Shuri. "Why isn't he here saying goodbye?"

"We already said goodbye," the princess assured him. "He went with M'Baku, Ned and Azoru to the gym. M'Baku wanted to make sure the carvings arrived undamaged, and Peter wanted to say his goodbyes to them, as well."

"Well, one more drink," Stark said. "Then we'll call everyone in and get you guys on your way before I decide to cause an international incident and _keep_ you."

She smiled at that.

"I will keep you updated on how the suit is coming."

"You do that. And let me know if there's anything I can help you with."

"I will eventually want to integrate Karen into the system. You are the one who will need to do that."

"Just let me know."

OOOOOOOO

"Well? Did you enjoy your visit?"

Azoru nodded, watching as Natasha (the _puppy_, not the gorgeous assassin) played with Ironpig on the floor of the gym.

"It was filled with many new and interesting experiences. Peter is an excellent host, uncle – as are the others."

Peter nodded his head, acknowledging the phrase for the sincere compliment that it was.

"We were glad to have you, Azoru. Honor is restored, yes?"

"Yes."

M'Baku nodded, as well. He had been looking at the carvings and rugs that had been displayed around the room, and looked pleased by the quality – and the fact that _Peter_ was pleased by the quality.

"That is good."

"If you find yourself back in the area for any reason," Peter added. "Please remember that you're welcome here. Both of you."

"And you are welcome in my home any time, Peter," Azoru said. "As are you, Ned," he added, looking at the other teen.

Ned grinned.

"Thanks. I appreciate that."

Peter saw Clint coming into the gym and smiled.

"One more gift for you, before you leave, though Azoru," he said, as they waited for the archer to catch up.

Clint nodded hello to M'Baku, and then gestured for them to follow him out to the Wakandan jet, where a black case about the same size as the refrigerator in Peter's room was waiting to be loaded. It was a hard case, with hinges on the right side and a lock on the left. Barton handed the key to Azoru, who frowned.

"What is it?"

Clint grinned; his expression filled with anticipation.

"Open it up and see."

The young Jabari did as he was told, and gasped, taking a step back. Peter knew what was in the case, so he didn't step forward to see what had surprised Azoru, but M'Baku and Ned both did.

"Wow…"

There was a bow, similar to the one Clint had been using the day that they had tried out the new arrows with him, and neatly arranged in the case was a large number of arrows, clearly designed to be a perfect fit for that bow.

"There are three extra bowstrings," Clint told him, gesturing to a closed drawer. "An arm guard, knock and some extra arrowheads. One hundred arrows, so you're on your own if you run out or you break them all." He smiled and shrugged. "Or you can call and we'll send you more."

Azoru's smile was brilliant.

"Thank you, Clint. It is a priceless gift."

"You're welcome." He held his hand out to Azoru, and then to M'Baku. "Have a safe trip home."

Meaning that he wasn't going to wait around for the goodbyes. Which, Peter realized, were getting ready to start, since Tony was walking their way with Shuri and Pepper. The Wakandan pilots said their thank yous to Peter and the others and loaded the archery case onto the jet and didn't return. Peter and Ned turned to watch as Azoru and M'Baku went to stand beside Shuri, who walked over to the ramp. Pepper and Tony walked over to stand by Peter and Ned.

Before anyone had a chance to say anything, they were joined by Steve, Natasha and Stephen Strange.

"We appreciate your hospitality," Shuri told them all, her gaze and her smile lingering on Peter – although she was clearly addressing all of them. The puppy at the end of the leash she was holding sat down and scratched his ear, undignifiedly. "You are good friends, all. If any of you have need, please do not hesitate to call upon me or my country."

It was definitely the speech of a princess.

Azoru nodded.

"I, too, appreciate your hospitality, and the lesson I have learned. The Jabari are also at your service – should you need anything. Even a warm hearth on a cold evening."

Peter looked over at Tony, and Stark stepped forward. He winked at Shuri and kissed her hand, lightly, then offered his hand to Azoru and M'Baku.

"The compound is here if you need anything. Call. Thank you for accepting our hospitality. I hope you were given everything you wanted. And more."

They all nodded that they had, and Pepper stepped up, too. Now the speeches were done, so it was a simple matter of everyone just shaking hands – or hugging – depending on personal preference. Peter and Ned shook hands with Azoru and M'Baku, and Steve and Natasha did the same. While Natasha was loving up her furry namesake, Peter hugged Shuri once more, holding her for a long moment, and smiling when he let her go.

"Need anything?" he asked her, before pulled away.

"No." she smiled at the puppy Tony was cooing over while Pepper looked on, amused. "I have a very real reminder of my most recent visit to your home. Thank you for him."

"Don't thank me, yet," Peter warned her. "He'll probably chew up everything you own and poop on everything else."

Shuri laughed and hugged him, again.

"I will miss you."

She turned and made her way up the ramp without looking back, her gangly puppy trotting at her side, followed by Azoru and his puppy and finally, M'Baku. A moment later the ramp closed, and they all stood back off the landing area as the engines came on, warmed up and then engaged, sending the jet up where it hovered for a moment, and then shot out of sight.

The little group was quiet for a moment, and then Ned sighed.

"That was fun. The rest of the summer is going to be dull, after this."

Peter grinned, and looked at Strange, expectantly.

"Where's my kitten?"

The sorcerer smiled.

"Come get him. We'll feed you all dinner."

"We accept," Tony said, speaking for all of them.

"Even _me_?" Ned asked, hopefully.

"Of course, you."

"Sweet!"

Strange winked at Natasha.

"Someone has to do the dishes, after all."


	126. Chapter 126

They stopped in the gym, first, so they could get the wooden carving that Wong had picked out for his bedroom and that Stephen had decided would look nice in his quarters, as well. They also picked up the woolen rugs the two men had chosen for themselves. Peter smiled, because the next stop was his quarters and he was looking forward to seeing Strange's reaction to the wood carving that he'd commissioned, as well as seeing Tony and Pepper's to the one for the tower.

The carvings and rugs going to the sanctum vanished, and Peter picked up the carving that Natasha had chosen for herself, to carry for her since they were going that way. She took the rug, which she draped over her shoulder to carry.

"Pretty convenient souvenirs for everyone," Tony said, amused when he was roped into carrying the other side of Romanoff's carving to make sure it arrived without bumping into any walls. "If not for how they were _earned_, I'd be all for the idea."

"We wouldn't have even had a glimpse of them any other way," Peter reminded him. "Not as tightly as the Jabari guard their craftmanship from outsiders."

"Which makes these all the cooler," Ned told them, excited because he was taking home _two_ of them – one for his bedroom and one that his mother had had him pick for her. "No one else will be able to say they have one."

They stopped and set Natasha's carving just inside her door – Peter said that he'd help her hang it, later, if she didn't enlist one of the others, first, and they went to Peter's quarters, next, with both boys grinning in anticipation.

OOOOOOO

"Wow…" Tony looked at Peter, and then back at the carvings, which were now displayed so that all three could be seen at the same time, instead of having them stacked against the wall in his living room. "You had these commissioned?"

"Yeah. With Jad's son."

"That's what you needed the goats for," Pepper guessed.

Peter nodded.

"Do you like them?"

"I love it," Pepper said, looking at the Stark Industries carving. "_This_ is going in my office."

"Yeah?"

She hugged him, tightly, and kissed his temple before letting him go.

"Absolutely. I'll make sure that it's in a good spot so anytime I have a video call, it'll be right over my shoulder and people will be so impressed."

"This one is obviously going in the lounge," Tony said, his hand on Peter's shoulder. "It's like it was made for it – which I suppose, in this case, it _was_."

"I was thinking the lounge," Peter agreed. "But you guys can put it wherever you want to, obviously."

"This cost you a _goat_?" Strange asked, looking from the carving Peter had commissioned for the wizards.

"_Two_ goats," Peter corrected. "And not just a _regular_ goat, either. The Jabari have these crazy soft ones that they make the wool rugs out of their hair. It was two of them, or a _cow_."

"That's incredible."

"You like it?"

"Of course. Thank you for thinking of us."

"It's the least I could do, really," Peter pointed out. "Considering you put up with me while Tony and Pepper were gone."

"Not to mention his _demon kitty_," Ned added, enjoying their reactions to the carvings.

"We were happy to have you," Strange told Peter.

"And _Nutmeg_?" the boy asked, pointedly.

The sorcerer smirked.

"You got off easy with two goats."

Peter chuckled and Strange hugged him, affectionately.

"I'm glad you like it."

"I do. Let's get it home."

Rather than try to jump a large group, Stephen simply made a portal for them, and they all stepped through, finding themselves in the sanctum entranceway. It was Tony and Strange holding the wood carving, which was probably just as well, since Peter was immediately accosted by the Cloak of Levitation, which crooned cheerfully in his head and wrapped itself around the boy's neck and shoulders before giving Ned a high-five.

Wong came to join them, obviously alerted by one of the protection spells on the place, and he looked suitably impressed with the carving the two men were carrying between them.

"It'll look good in the library on the 3rd floor," he suggested to Stephen, who nodded.

"My thought, as well."

For the moment they set it between the wall and a sofa for protection, and Tony rubbed his hands together, looking at Strange.

"How about a cup of coffee, Stephen?"

"Good idea."

"Where's _Nutmeg_?" Ned asked, curiously.

Wong rolled his eyes.

"Last time I saw him, he was in the meteorite display in the 1st floor library, knocking them off the shelves. Go find him, will you? And pick up the rocks."

"Yeah."

"I'll come help," Peter offered.

He was his kitten, after all.

OOOOOOOO

"So you're coming home?"

"_Yes. Finally."_

"How's your brother-in-law?"

"_They have him using a walker thing. He can move around well enough to help out."_

"That's good. When will you be home?"

"_By Wednesday."_

"Maybe we can go do something."

She nodded.

"_I'll ask my mom. Just us? Or would we invite Ned?"_

Peter blushed; glad she couldn't see it.

"Which would you prefer?"

"_He's had you to himself for the last three days. Maybe I could have you for a while."_

"Sounds great. Wednesday?"

"I'll ask."

"Yeah, I'll need to, too."

_"I'd better go. Where's Nutmeg?"_

"I haven't taken him out of his carrier, yet."

MJ laughed.

"_You can't keep him in there, forever."_

"I was thinking until he's grown would be long enough.

_"Let him out, Peter. It'll be fun."_

She ended their call and Peter grinned, looking at the kitten, who was watching him from the wrong side of the wire framework on the front of his carrier.

When they'd left the sanctum – with kitten in tow – Wong had made sure that Peter had everything that he needed for Nutmeg, sending it all directly to the boy's rooms. He'd told Tony and Pepper that he'd meet them in the lounge as soon as he had a chance to go through it all, and see if there was anything that he might need. Then MJ had called, and that had distracted him from what he'd been doing.

A _good_ distraction, though.

"Are you ready to get out?" he asked the kitten.

Nutmeg meowed, putting a little paw on the gate of the carrier, and then boy smiled at the thought that he had answered him. Tony had activated the DOORSTOP protocol the evening before, which meant that it was safe for Peter to allow the kitten a chance to roam his new home, completely. Safe for the _kitten_, anyway. If the sanctum was any indication of the havoc to be wreaked on the compound, Pepper had suggested they superglue everything to the shelves to keep them from ending up on the floors.

Peter opened the cage and pulled his kitten out of the carrier, and Nutmeg immediately started purring, more than content to cuddle against the boy's chest. He felt that little boy inside him squeal with delight at having the baby right up against him, and smiled – for once, they were in complete agreement on something.

The Wakandans were gone – scheduled to land in their homeland in a few hours. Peter wouldn't go to bed until Shuri called him and checked in so he would know they were home safely. Strange had offered to drive Ned home from the sanctum, after collecting his things from the VIP room and the gym the easy way, so he was gone, now. The honeymoon and the trip were over, so things could settle down, now, and they could enjoy the rest of the summer.

Mom, dad, kid, kitten and pig.

And, of course, all the Avengers.

Peter smiled, and rubbed his face into the fuzzy face.

"Let's go see if mom and dad want to play a game," hue murmured to the kitten.


	127. Chapter 127

"He's going to forget how to walk…"

Peter smiled, looking from the kitten in his arms to the pig in Tony's.

"And IP? Does he even know he has _legs_?"

Tony rolled his eyes, amused.

"He _has_ them. But they're short and it's hard for him to keep up."

"How would you know that?" Pepper asked. "I don't know that he's actually walked anywhere with you since we brought him home."

"He's a _baby_, Pep. I can't make him _walk_."

She looked at Peter, as if waiting for him to weigh in on the topic. He knew that he wasn't any better. He'd had Nutmeg back for less than 24 hours, and hadn't put the kitten down more than a few minutes at a time.

"_Nutmeg's_ a baby, too."

Pepper shook her head, and reached over to take the kitten from him.

"Did you find the polymorph?"

"Yeah, it was under my bed."

"Where Nutmeg took it?" Tony asked.

"Probably."

The billionaire smiled over at his wife.

"Which is why _we_ have a _pig_. You don't see _Ironpig_ stealing things, or knocking things off shelves."

"Because pigs aren't _predators_," Peter pointed out. He'd already looked up the reasoning behind the fact that his kitten had been back to stay for a full day – almost – and had proceeded to knock everything off the shelf in his bathroom more than once. He'd been forced to put all items in the medicine cabinet above the sink. "Nutmeg is practicing for when he's bigger… and he has to stalk his prey."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"First time I've ever heard a can of Fancy Feast being called _prey_."

Pepper chuckled and crooned the kitten, who settled against her collarbone more than willingly.

"To switch back to the subject at hand… MJ is home?"

"She'll be getting home any time, now."

"And you want to go on another date…" Tony said, smirking when Peter blushed.

"Yeah. I mean. Well… yeah."

"In the _city_?" Pepper asked. "Or do we bring her out here?"

"I was thinking in the city. Maybe do the park thing, again, since we got rained on, last time, and had to cut it short."

"Not Ned?" Tony asked.

"No. She said that Ned had me the last few days, and it's her turn to have me for a little while." He blushed at the look they sent his way. "_She_ said it. Not me."

Pepper looked at Tony, who shrugged.

"I don't see why not. What do you think, momma?"

"I'm alright with it. Depending on the time of day you guys want to meet up, you could ride in with me, if you'd like. Then Tony could pick you up – or if you make a full day of it, just come back to the tower and catch a ride home with me, also."

He smiled.

"Thanks. I'll see what she wants to do – and what her folks say – and let you know."

"The standard security protocols are in place, son," Tony reminded him.

"I know. I won't post what we're doing – and I'll remind _her_, too."

"Thank you."

He looked at Pepper.

"Are you ready to eat?"

"Yes."

"Hold the pig, Peter, I'll go get our dinner."

OOOOOOOO

"I don't know, Joel… teenagers all sound alike. Are you sure?"

"I know what the kid sounded like, Alex. I was clinging to him like he was a life raft, after all – so I was paying attention to what he was saying."

"If Stark's kid is Spiderman, why wouldn't he tell the world? He didn't have any problem letting everyone know he was _Ironman_, after all?"

"Maybe the kid is _shy_, I don't know. Just look into it, okay?"

"You want me to confront Stark?"

"No. Of course not. That would let Romanoff know we were poking around where we shouldn't be. Just do whatever it is you would normally do to check something like this, and let me know."

He didn't roll his eyes; they were pretty much as close to being friends as anyone could be in their line of work, but King was a dangerous man to mock, and Alex knew it. He shrugged, instead.

"I'll see what I can find out."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"You'll let me know?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"Good."

OOOOOOOO

"_That is the most interesting patch of chest hair that I have ever seen."_

Peter smiled at Shuri's image in the video call and then looked down at the kitten sleeping on his chest.

"He's had a long day of doing nothing but sleeping and playing with Jack; of course, he's tired. How did your brother like Tony?"

She grinned, and she looked away – Peter assumed she was looking at her puppy.

"_He was surprised, of course. But I reminded him that Tony is a gift from a host and of course he could not complain, then."_

"He's doing okay?"

"_Tony or T'Challa?"_

"Both."

"_They are fine. Tony chewed one of my shoes, and I cannot find the other, but aside from that, it is not too bad. Steve gave me many pointers for dealing with a puppy before I left."_

"He'd know," Peter agreed. "Jack was pretty bad. He's _still_ pretty bad, really."

"_Has anything exciting been happening since I left?"_

"It's been a _day_."

She shrugged.

"_Well?"_

"I gave Stephen and Wong their wood carving – and they love it. Pepper's taking hers in tomorrow when she goes in and will have it hung on her office. Steve hung the third one in the lounge this afternoon, and it looks just as good as I thought it would."

"_I am glad."_

"The Jabari really do good work."

"_Yes."_

"Other than that, there really isn't much going on. I'm just trying to stay under the radar and out of trouble so Tony and Pepper don't have to worry about me."

Shuri smiled.

"_I think they will worry about you, no matter what."_

"Probably. What's new in Wakanda?"

"I am starting your new suit."

"Yeah?" He grinned, thinking about having a suit like Tony's, but unable to really picture it since it would be so hard to swing in something so bulky. "How's it coming along?"

"_It will be black, by default_," she admitted. "_I cannot add in any alloys. Tony was correct when he told me that it was not possible to mix vibranium and other metals."_

"And you didn't believe him?"

She shrugged.

"_It is the idea of not being able to do something that I wanted to be able to do – and the nature of being told something is impossible. It rankles."_

"I don't mind if it's _black_, Shuri – but don't go crazy working on it, okay? I'm fine with the one I _have_, too."

"_It is a challenge,"_ the princess told him, grinning, and her eyes lit up, so he knew she meant it – and _liked_ it. _"I am having fun with it. Your webshooters are separate from the suit, correct?"_

He held up the hand that wasn't holding his phone, showing her the bracelet.

"Yeah. I have them available all the time. One in my watch, and this one in my bracelet."

"_It is nanotech?"_

"Yes. These are the housing units."

"_Very well."_

"How's my zebra?"

"_He is still running around the area by the villa. The herds will soon be moving on, but we have the tracker so we can see what he's up to."_

"Thanks. Need anything from here?"

"_A Captain America hat."_

"Want me to have him sign it?"

"_It is not for me."_

Peter smiled.

"I'm sending you a box of presents for those kids at that orphanage we went to. I'll put it in with their things, okay?"

"_The children are well taken care of, Peter,"_ she reminded him.

"I know. But everyone needs to get a present, from time to time – just _because_. Right?"

Her expression made it clear that she understood why he felt the connection to the children that he did, and she smiled.

"_I will make sure that for every present you send to them, my brother and I find something equally novel for them. Two presents are better than one, correct?"_

He nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"_You are welcome. I have to go."_ She rolled her eyes. _"There is always a ceremony, when you are a princess."_

"Poor baby. Have fun."

"_You, too."_

The call ended and Peter ran his finger along Nutmeg's face, caressing his nose until the little guy woke up, blue eyes questioning why he was being annoyed when he wanted to sleep. The boy smiled.

"I'm going to go see what grandpa and grandma are doing and ask if one of them wants to go shopping with me for some of the cutest little kids you ever saw. Want to come?"

The kitten closed his eyes, not at all concerned about who he was shopping for – or with. Peter cradled him against his chest, carefully, and then rolled off the bed and went to find someone to drive him into the city.


	128. Chapter 128

"Welcome home."

MJ rolled her eyes at the flower he handed her, but her cheeks reddened, making Peter glad that he'd let Pepper talk him into the – what _he_ _thought_ was – corny display of chivalry. Who really gave anyone _flowers_? Pepper had assured him that women loved flowers, looking pointedly at Tony when telling him. Tony had nodded his agreement and went back to feeding a biscuit to Ironpig.

"Thank you."

He smiled.

"I brought you a wood carving, too – from Wakanda, I mean. But it's back at the compound, so you can pick from the ones that are left and we'll deliver it, or you can just trust me to choose one for you."

"I'd like to see them all. Ned took a picture of the ones he and his mon got from you. They're _amazing_. Do I get a _rug_, too?"

"Of course." Peter looked over her shoulder and nodded a good morning to MJ's father. "You can pick that out, too. They have a lot of different ones."

Her dad wasn't hovering. He knew Peter fairly well by then, and wasn't too concerned. He was just waiting to make sure he knew where they were going to be and when they were going to expect to have her home by. The plan was to just go to the park and try the walking thing, again, and do some people watching.

Which meant, there wasn't really a plan.

"Did you get your shopping done?" she asked as they walked to the train.

He grinned.

"Yeah."

It had been a fun time, too. Tony and Pepper had listened to what he wanted to do and had been on board, immediately, with the idea of going and finding gifts. So what if the kids were being well taken care of? Everyone was better for having received a present for no reason. They immediately started making plans for a shopping expedition the next day. And since Natasha and Clint just happened to be there when he'd brought it up, they wanted to go, too. The idea caught on, and Nick Fury found himself watching Ironpig, Jack and Nutmeg the next day while everyone abandoned him to spend the day looking for unique and fun gifts to send to Wakanda.

Along with a Captain America ball cap for Shuri.

"When we get back to my place, remind me," she said. "I found a few things you can put in your box, too."

Which made him smile.

"Thanks."

They talked about his trip, mostly, as they made their way to the park, and he asked her about the time spent at her sister's. It wasn't close to being as exciting as a foreign country, but it was her, and Peter liked knowing what was going on with her and her family. Like Ned, MJ was a good way to remind himself that not everyone lived with the Avengers and had to always be on the lookout for gods, or magical attacks or whatever the next disaster was that was hiding around the corner.

It was a good way to ground himself in a regular reality that he knew he could never really be a part of.

OOOOOOO

"Yeah? Where? You're _sure_? Okay. Thanks. No. Don't go anywhere near them or I'll rip your fucking head off and send it to your grandmother COD. Yeah. You, too. Have a good day."

"Who was _that_, dear?"

"One of my guys, Marie. It's nothing important. What are you doing today?"

"Going to go play bridge at the senior center with my mother. Do you want to invite anyone to dinner tonight?"

"Whoever you want, honey. You _know_ that." He kissed his wife. "I need to go out for a while."

"Pick up some milk, will you? The stuff we have tastes funny."

He nodded, not even bothering to point out to her that he was one of the most powerful mafia guys on the east coast, and one didn't just tell a mobster (although he wasn't sure that he liked being called a _mobster_ – even in his own mind) to get some milk on the way home. One _did_ tell the mobster that when they were married to them, after all.

"I'll take care of it."

He left, nodding to the ever-present phalanx of bodyguards as he got into the gleaming muscle car. He didn't let any of them ride with him – not when he was in the classic – because he wasn't doing business when he was in the classic, but they would follow him. You could never be too safe, really. It _was_ New York, after all.

OOOOOOO

It was still early in the day by the time they reached the park and there was no chance of being rained on, Peter pointed out, smiling.

"Hot dog?"

They didn't _have_ to have a hotdog. There were other vendors selling everything from pretzels to cotton candy and even pizza by the slice. But MJ liked them and Peter wasn't too hard to please. They walked over to the vendor and Peter bought them a couple of hotdogs and sodas and they went to the picnic table to eat.

"How's Nutmeg doing?" she asked. "Is he being as bad as everyone thought he was going to be?"

Peter smiled.

"He's into everything and always getting lost in the compound. Tony finally had to allow Karen access to everything, instead of just my quarters so I can find him. She kind of has the access anyway, through Friday, but now I don't have to wait for them to replay the information between them."

"Fancy."

She said it sarcastically, but he knew that she liked hearing about all the tech in the compound. She wasn't the techie that he and Ned were – honestly, Tony and, now, Shuri, were probably the only ones who could match them – but she was intelligent and liked knowing how things worked, and that included machines.

Or AIs in this case.

"We just integrated her into my car, too."

"Finally."

"It'll make for a fun road trip, next time," he told her. "Tony might let me drive _my_ car instead of one of his, since he can keep track of things – through Friday – now."

"But he'll be able to helicopter parent you."

Peter shrugged.

"I don't mind. It's not like I'm breaking laws and getting into trouble," he pointed out. "And remember, he's still new to being a _dad_ – just like I'm new to _having_ one. Eventually, that will rub off a little. Right now, I don't have any complaints, really."

MJ smiled.

"Would he listen if you did?"

He chuckled.

"That's what Pepper's there for; to make him."

They finished eating their lunch and decided to go deeper into the park. They weren't really on a time constraint, so they had most of the day to hang out together. Peter had already told her that he was going to splurge and send her home in a taxi, so it would give them that much more time.

There weren't a lot of people in the section that they were in; it was wooded with a wide walking path, and an occasional mom pushing a stroller in front of her while jogging. One time a guy went by who had skis on, with wheels under them, propelling himself with ski poles and everything. The two teens stared at him as they watched him go by, figuring that they'd officially seen everything.

It was a great day, really, and he didn't want to push his luck by having her get home late, so Peter was just starting to mention that maybe they should begin to head back when he suddenly started feeling just a little edgy. Not the crazy _something is going to happen, and you need to get away_ edginess that had preceded him and Natasha being sprayed by the skunk, or him being shot. This was the heads up that he sometimes felt when something a little dodgy was going on around him.

Not so much _danger_, but something to be ready for.

He stopped, trying to get an idea of what he should be watching for.

"What's up?" MJ asked, curiously.

"Just…"

Ahead of them, seeming to appear out of nowhere, was a man in a superbly tailored suit. Behind him were six other men, all dressed in suits and clearly not out for an afternoon stroll. About Tony's height, with a thin face and a pencil thin mustache, Peter wondered why he looked familiar, and then realized he knew who the man was. He hesitated, pulling MJ's arm so that she was behind him, putting himself between them.

"What's going on?" she asked, suddenly afraid.

"It's okay." He tried to sound more confident than he was. Seven on one wasn't that big of a deal, really. He knew he was good. But he wasn't sure he could protect her if they all rushed him, at once, and he couldn't call Tony without them seeing what he was doing, and maybe precipitating an attack that he might be able to avoid. "Be casual."

The man walked toward them, his hands up, just a little, held to the sides – clearly showing that he wasn't holding a weapon. Which might explain why Peter's spider senses weren't freaking out on him. He was studying Peter, though, as he stepped up and stopped in front of him, his expression unreadable.

"You're a hard guy to get in touch with, _Spiderman_…"


	129. Chapter 129

King knew immediately that he was right. The boy in front of him – and he was definitely a _boy_; barely sixteen and not much to look at(scrawny and a little undersized) – tried to school his features when he'd called him out, but the mafia man had far too much experience reading people to be fooled.

"What…? I mean… I'm _not_…"

"Relax, kid," King said, holding his hands up, placatingly. "No one's going to get hurt, okay? I just want to talk…"

He watched the boy look over his shoulder at the men he had with him, and saw him move a little more, putting himself between them and the girl he was with. She was pale and scared looking. The boy was just pale.

"They can't hear us," he assured the kid. "They're just here to make sure nothing happens." He looked at the girl. "Don't be frightened, honey. Everything's _fine_."

"Let her go," the boy said, speaking up before the girl could reply – if she was going to. "She doesn't have anything to do with this."

"You're not my _prisoners_, Peter," the mobster said, reasonably. "She can go. But I want _you_ to stick around for a minute and talk to me."

"No," the girl said. "We _both_ go."

The boy shook his head, turning to her. "_Go_, MJ. I'm fine. Just… we'll meet at the hotdog guy. It's okay."

"Peter…"

"_Go."_

She looked at the men, once more, and then at the boy, and backed away, slowly, as if uncertain that it wasn't a trap, of some sort. The boy was clearly watching for one, too, because he was even more tense as she moved away, and he _still_ had himself blocking her as well as he could. She went around the curve and broke into a run.

King and the boy both waited until she was out of sight, and then the boy turned back to face him, still pale, but a little less tense. King wondered if he was that confident of his abilities that now that he didn't have to worry about the girl being hurt, he wasn't concerned that it was still seven on one odds.

Of course, he didn't have any intention of hurting the kid, but there was no way he could know that for sure.

"See?" he said, still keeping his hands in sight. "Everything's _good_, right?"

The boy's right hand suddenly balled into a fist, as if he was holding something – or was going to try to defend the two of them, but he didn't move, beyond making sure he was between them and the girl, still.

"What do you want?"

"You saved my life. I just wanted to reward you."

"I told you; I don't need a reward."

"Yeah." King was annoyed, and allowed it to show. "When I offered, I didn't know you were _Tony Stark's_ boy," he said. "Obviously, you don't need _money_. Which makes the debt I owe you a lot _trickier_."

"You don't owe me anything."

"That's not how it _works_, kid. A life for a life, and you saved me _and_ my wife. That makes it _two_ that I owe you – and we won't even discuss the _car_."

"I don't _need_ anything."

He could see the boy was frustrated – and he was, too. But the mafia front man knew, instinctively, that this was going to be the only chance he had to talk to the kid. Tony Stark was almost certainly going to put a serious safety net over him, once this got out. He had to have his resolution – and had to make sure the kid knew that no harm was going to come to him, so he could take that promise back to Romanoff.

"You must _want_ something, though."

OOOOOOO

"Look. Tab A goes into slot C. _See_?"

"What?" Strange scowled, looking at the instructions in his hands and then at the mess of wood and wires that was in front of them. "Look. Just let me make it with _magic_, alright? It'll be much faster."

Tony smirked, enjoying the frustration on his friend's expression. Stark was a _builder_; it was a matter of pride to him that they made something out of the parts presented to them. The difference between waving your hand and having something appear, and actually working on it.

"You're not _giving up_, are you, Stephen?"

They were trying to build an enclosure that would allow Nutmeg to have some fresh air. It was designed to go into Peter's window – which wasn't on the ground floor, meaning that it had to be made securely – and was a wood frame with wire mesh. Snug into the window, it would let the kitten be _outside_, but would still keep him contained, safely, _inside_.

"It's not a contest, Tony," the magician pointed out. We can just-"

He was interrupted when Friday overrode the AI protocol in Peter's room.

"_Call coming in from Michelle Jones."_

Strange frowned.

"Who is Michel-"

"That's MJ," Tony interrupted. "Put it through. MJ?"

"_Mr. Stark?"_ she sounded out of breath and frantic. "_They have Peter! Please."_

"Where are you?"

"_At the park. He told me to run."_

"Stephen?" He moved out of the way. "Are you safe, MJ?"

"_Yes."_

"Stay where you are, honey."

A portal formed in the middle of the boy's living room as Strange triggered the spell that would lock onto Peter's watch. And Tony activated his suit.

OOOOOO

Peter was frozen, really. Not only shocked by the fact that the mobster (and he wondered if _mobster_ was the right word to use, even as his mind screamed at him that he had bigger things to worry about than the proper form of address for the man standing in front of him) was suddenly standing in front of him, but also that he'd figured out who he was.

MJ was gone, and he felt a little better, because if she was safe, he had a lot more options to make his own escape, if they all came at him. Short of shooting at him, he was certain he was a match for them, and even though King couldn't see it, the teleportation stone was in his hand. He couldn't leave, just yet, but he could at any time, now, if he needed to. But his spider senses weren't going crazy on him. He wasn't in danger, just then, and he had to get this crazy situation figured out with the guy.

Especially since he knew his connection to Tony. And, consequently – and more _frightening_ – to Pepper.

"I don't ask anyone else to reward me," Peter told him. "It'd be wrong to charge you."

"No one else knows who you _are_. Otherwise, they'd be able to pay you back. And would be obligated to. That's the way it works, kid."

"You can't tell anyone who-"

He was interrupted by a sudden tingle – not his spider senses, but the presence of magic, and he turned to look behind him, automatically. Several paces behind him, there's a sudden light; a fire that is hovering in mid-air and almost immediately turned into a ring of flames. King noticed it, too, as did the men standing behind him, further back.

"What…?"

Peter didn't have any doubt what it was, and suddenly his spider senses _were_ screaming at him. The men behind King were suddenly all holding weapons, immediately ready to protect their boss from whatever this threat was. A moment later, they had a target, because Ironman and Stephen Strange both came out of the portal; Tony with his right hand up – and Peter knew Friday was already finding targets for him – and Strange with both hands up, also looking for the source of the trouble.

Caught in between both armed factions, Peter and Joel King were suddenly in a very dangerous position.


	130. Chapter 130

"_Stop!" _

Sensing an impending bloodbath – and not worried about the fact that he was in the middle of it – Peter instinctively turned toward Tony and Stephen, while King had stared at the sudden arrival of Ironman that had to be magic, it was so unexpected, and then turned to his men, lifting a hand to tell them not to do anything crazy.

The boy's shout brought Tony up short – his firepower _wasn't_ nonlethal and the initial information he was getting from Friday was that Peter wasn't hurt, and that the man closest to his son didn't have a weapon any closer than a handgun in the small of his back. Not someone to kill – _especially_ in front of Peter – when intimidation would work, he hesitated long enough to give the others a chance to give up.

King's men weren't as disciplined. Or maybe it was just that they were unnerved by the sudden appearance of the superhero. Of the six, three dropped their weapons, immediately; the very idea of engaging in a gun battle with Ironman being absolutely ridiculous – if not sacrilegious. The guy had saved New York, and the world, after all. Two of the remaining men froze, and the other hesitated long enough that his weapon was dropping even as the finger on the trigger spasmed and it went off.

The mobster saw what was happening. He was quick, too. Not as quick as Peter, but the boy had his back to the mafia guys and wasn't paying attention. A moment later, he suddenly found himself engulfed in powerful arms as King grabbed him from behind and dragged him to the ground as a shot went off. He felt a stabbing pain in his arm as he fell, and heard a muffled curse above him. An instant later, he felt a tingle of magic and another curse as three more weapons clattered to the surface of the pathway nearby.

"Peter!"

Tony jumped forward, trusting Stephen to make sure the men who were threatening them weren't, anymore. The sorcerer had been quick to cast a force bolt spell that knocked the remaining weapons from the hands that were suddenly stinging. Friday noted a minor injury on the boy, but a more serious one on the mafia front man, which made Tony a little gentler than he might have normally been when easing the man off his son.

"I'm okay…" Peter said, quickly, rolling as the helmet of the Ironman suit disengaged and it was Tony looking down at him, worried. "MJ's some-"

"She called me," Tony told him, holding him down with one gauntleted hand while holding King still with the other. "She's fine. _Stephen_?"

King _wasn't_ fine. Tony hadn't missed the scan Friday did of everyone else, and hadn't missed the bullet wound in the man's shoulder. A wound he'd received trying to protect Peter, Tony had noticed, as well.

"Peter?"

The magician knelt down, looking at the boy with concern, but Tony shook his head.

"Not Peter. It's this guy."

The blood was pooling around King's shoulder and soaking his shirt crimson. Stephen pulled the suit jacket back to expose the white shirt, shockingly turning red, and then rolled the man a little to look underneath. The mobster yelped and cursed in pain – which the sorcerer ignored.

"It's in and out, Tony, but we should get him to a hospital."

King scowled as a couple of heavy cloths appeared in Strange's hand and he started applying pressure.

"I'm not going to a hospital with a gunshot wound. The police will come, and there'll be questions."

His scowl was nothing compared to Tony's.

"Yeah? Well, I've got some questions of my own. Number one, who the hell _are_ you and what are you doing threatening my son?"

"He didn't threaten me," Peter said. "I mean, not _technically_."

"This is the _mafia guy_…" Strange realized. "The one you saved."

He'd seen the video many more times than Tony had, so it wasn't completely unrealistic that he'd recognize the man – even though he wasn't looking like a drowned rat at the moment. More like a bloody one, really. Tony had been on his honeymoon, and had only watched the video a few times.

"Yeah."

"What-"

"He needs a doctor," Stephen interrupted. "Or he's going to bleed to death."

"_You're_ a doctor."

"I'm _Peter's_ doctor. Not the mob's."

"I don't need a doctor," King said, struggling against Strange's grip to sit up. "My guys can get me to our doc…"

His men were inching closer, uncertainly, and Tony wasn't shy about keeping an eye on them, his hand raised enough to hold them all back. They were still a threat, as far as he was concerned, and none of them were ready to test the superhero.

"Let's take him to the compound," Tony decided. "We can get him cleaned up, there."

And then he wouldn't have to look for him to ask what he wanted with Peter. He, personally, would have preferred to wait on this confrontation, but it was here, and Stark never backed down from a threat. He certainly wasn't going to start when the threat was to Peter.

"Strange shrugged, and looked at Peter.

"You're alright?"

"Yeah."

He _wasn't_, exactly, but he wasn't as bad as King, and things were calm, right now. He wanted to keep them that way, if he could.

"Put pressure on the wounds," Stephen told him, guiding the boy's hands – one to the front of the shoulder and one to the back. "Got it?"

"Yeah."

Peter was stronger than Strange was. He could apply more pressure. The sorcerer stood up, wiping his bloody hands on a wet cloth that was suddenly in his hands.

"Just him?" he asked Tony, looking at the group of henchmen.

"It's not a Tupperware party. They're not invited." Stark was getting angrier the more he thought about just what had happened. And what _could_ have happened. turned toward them, as well. "We're going to take your boss to get treated."

"_Where_?" one of them asked. "We're supposed to stick with him."

"The Avenger compound," Tony said. "And again, _not_ invited."

"Go tell Alex what happened," King ordered his men, his voice pained, and his expression agonized. "Tell him to keep Marie from worrying. I'll be in touch." He looked at Stark, pointedly. "I _will_ be in touch, right?"

"We're certainly not going to keep you."

"I have to find MJ," Peter said, quickly.

"No." Tony looked around. "_I'll_ find her. Then I'll make sure she's okay, and I'll get her home, safely. You go with Stephen."

"But-"

"Do what I tell you."

It was clear Tony wasn't in the mood for any arguments, just then.

"Let's get you on your feet," Strange said, taking hold of the mafia man as carefully as he could and helping Peter ease him to his feet. He looked at Peter before letting go. "Do you have him?"

"Yeah."

"Send your men away," the doctor ordered King, who scowled, not at all used to being told what to do – especially by strangers.

He hesitated and then nodded at the one who had spoken up before.

"Go ahead. I'll be fine."

"But-"

"Just do what you're fucking told. Find Alex, like I said. Tell him where I am."

The men nodded and carefully picked up their discarded weapons, watching Tony as they did, since he was – presumably – their biggest threat. Then they left, with several glances back – either to see if they were going to be followed, or maybe waiting to hear a gunshot that proved their boss wasn't as okay as he thought he was. When they were gone, Strange looked at Tony.

"Are you coming?"

"No. Have them put him in the med lab and put a guard on him – just in case. I'll find MJ and be there as soon as I can."

Meaning, he'd fly in.

"I told her I'd meet her by the hotdog guy," Peter said, still holding King upright. "Tell her I'm okay. And-"

"I'll take care of it."

Strange nodded and took hold of King, once more, to steady him. A moment later, Ironman was the only one standing in the path. And he went airborne, almost immediately.

"Find MJ for me, Friday."


	131. Chapter 131

MJ wasn't the only person to notice when Ironman flew into the area above the park, hovered for a minute and then came in for an easy landing, but there weren't many people in the area, just then. She had been sitting on a picnic table when she'd noticed him, and was on her feet when he landed and disengaged the suit.

"_Mr. Stark_. Where's Peter? Did you see him? There are-"

She was pale, and he could tell she was frightened. Even if she wasn't talking much faster than usual, hey eyes were scared. Tony reacted to the panic, immediately trying to calm her. Of course, he needed to be calmed, too, because he was still seething, and the short flight to find the girl hadn't done anything to calm him.

"It's okay, MJ, he's fine. They're all okay. How are you? Are you hurt?"

"No. He told me to go. _Peter_, I mean. I wanted to stay, but the… the man knew he was _Spiderman_, and said he wanted to talk to him. He said Peter couldn't go, but that _I_ could, and Peter told me to go."

"You did everything just right," he assured her. "Peter needed you safe – and _I_ needed someone to call me so we could handle it. He couldn't, so you were smart to get yourself somewhere else, so that you could. You did _great_, honey."

That helped, he could see. He walked her over to the picnic table, and the two sat down on the table part, with their feet on the seat.

"Do you mind telling me what happened?" he asked, gently.

"We were just walking. There was a guy with skis on wheels and he went by and we were joking about it, a little, and then Peter started acting a little odd, looking around and stuff. Then we came around the corner and they were standing there. Like they were waiting for us. He – there were seven of them, but one was really close – said Peter was a hard guy to get in touch with, only he called him Spiderman."

Which meant that Peter had known something was up ahead of time. Tony wondered, absently, why he hadn't stopped then and there and waited it out to see what was going on.

"What did _Peter_ say?"

"He tried to say that he wasn't – but he wasn't very convincing. Then he moved me behind him." She rolled her eyes. "Like _that_ was going to do any good."

Tony shrugged.

"Maybe. Then what?"

"He told us no one was going to get hurt – and Peter told him to let me go."

"Yeah? What did he say to that?"

"He said we weren't prisoners and let me go. But that he wanted to talk to Peter, before he could leave. And then… like I said, Peter told me to leave an I did. He's really okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine."

"Who was he?" MJ asked.

"It's probably better that you don't know. We're going to take care of it, though. I just wanted to make sure you weren't hurt."

"No. I'm not hurt. A little freaked out, maybe."

"Yeah. Me, too." He patted her knee, and got up. "Come on. Let's get you home." He waited for her to get up, and then they started walking toward the exit. "Did you pick a wooden carving, yet?"

"No. Peter said he'd get me invited out so I can choose one."

"We'll make that happen."

He chatted with her as they walked, mainly just trying to make sure she was calmed down and to see if she needed anything from him by way of reassurance. She was smart, and a bit sassy. Tony liked that in anyone. Although maybe not too much sass when coming from a teenaged girl. As they reached the entrance, he ordered her an Uber rather than a cab, to make sure she got home and then waited with her until it arrived, double checking the driver and car matched.

"You okay?" he asked her as he opened the door for her – and waited for the driver to stop gawking at him.

"Yes. Are _you_?"

So she had noticed that he was upset, too. Peter _did_ tell him that she was observant. And she did figure out the boy was Spiderman on her own. He tilted his head and shrugged.

"Yeah. I'm okay. Thanks. I'm going to go home and chew Peter out for ruining a perfectly good date."

"Then I'll wait my turn. Thanks, Mr. Stark."

"You're welcome. Call if you need anything."

The car drove off and Tony engaged his suit and headed back to the compound.

OOOOOOOO

They materialized in Peter's quarters. It was a place guaranteed to be empty, and Strange was familiar with it. King looked around, confused, and almost fell when his knees wobbled a bit. Either from shock from being moved, or because he was going into shock from the gunshot wound.

"Where the hell…?"

"We're at the Avenger's compound," Strange said, calmly. "I moved you with some Avenger technology that they recovered from Thor. Don't ask too many questions."

Peter frowned, and then decided that it was his choice what he told the man, and if wanted him to think it had been Asgard tech, then fine.

"Karen? Have Friday notify the medics that we're heading their way with a gunshot wound, please."

"_Done."_

"Come on," Strange said, helping Peter guide him to the door. "The doctors here are top-notch. They'll get you taken care of."

They didn't get too far when they were met by a medical team with a gurney and Peter and Strange handed King over to them. Before they had turned the corner, Natasha Steve and Nick Fury were all headed their way, as well.

"What happened?" Fury asked.

"Did I just see Joel King?" Natasha asked at the same time, frowning at Peter, who realized that he was smeared with blood.

This time, though, most of it wasn't his.

"He stopped me in the park," Peter said, wiping his hands on his jeans and smearing them crimson, too. "When I was with MJ. He knows who I am."

"You're sure?" Natasha asked, looking him over.

"He called me Spiderman."

"Shit. Where's Tony?" Fury asked.

"He had to get MJ."

"Let's go sit down," Stephen suggested. "You can question him while we wait for Tony – and we wait for a prognosis on Mr. King."

"What happened to King?" Natasha asked, looking back the way the medics had gone before leading them to a conference room that was only a few doors down the corridor.

"He was shot," Strange replied, looking down at himself and realizing that he hadn't escaped without smearing some blood on himself, either. A moment later, he was wearing a clean – and perfectly tailored – suit, once more. "By one of his _own people_ – not by Tony."

A glance at Peter, and the boy was in clean jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt.

"Are _you_ alright?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah," he said. "It barely hit me."

There was a crimson stain spreading on the upper part of the sleeve of Peter's new shirt, and everyone seemed to be suddenly aware of it at the same time.

"Are you _kid_-" Strange smothered a curse and pushed Peter down into the closest chair and tore the sleeve off the shirt, revealing a raw wound that went along the boy's upper arm. "Why didn't you say something, sooner?"

"Because it didn't seem that important. Mr. King is hurt a _lot_ worse than I a-" he hissed in pain when the doctor suddenly had a wet cloth in hand and started cleaning the wound.

"_Sorry."_

Peter decided that he didn't sound very sorry.

"How is it, Stephen?" Natasha asked, even though Clint and Fury were also hovering close at hand.

"Looks like a graze." He frowned. "There was only one shot fired – the one that hit King."

"Yeah."

Peter hadn't been keeping track.

"Peter got hit with the same bullet?" Clint asked. "That's some serious shooting."

"King was trying to protect Peter when he was shot," Stephen told them. "At least, I think that's what he was doing. That's what it looked like, anyway. Tony probably has a recording from his suit. Probably Peter and King were close enough that the bullet went through our mobster and still had enough velocity to injure Peter."

"Is he alright?" Fury asked.

"Looks like a clean wound," the doctor said, still probing the wound and ignoring Peter's squirming as he held the injured arm with his free hand. "_Stitches_, nothing more."

A kit appeared on the table in front of him.

"You're going to do it _here_?" Peter asked.

"I'd like to have you patched up before Tony returns," Strange told him. "He'll worry a little less if you're not bleeding."

"We don't have to tell him…"

"He's going to find out," Romanoff disagreed. "I'm surprised Friday didn't scan you, automatically, while he was still in the suit."

Peter winced as Strange gave him a shot.

"That's a painkiller," he said. "We'll give it a minute to kick in."

"While we're waiting," Fury said, leaning his hands on the table and looking intently at Peter. "Why don't you give us an idea of what happened?"


	132. Chapter 132

They didn't interrupt him while he told them what had happened – although he interrupted himself twice while Strange was putting the neat row of stitches into his arm, and once more when Steve joined them, having heard what had happened and come to check on things. It wasn't a long story, but they were all serious by the time he was finished.

"So, they figured it out, then…" Fury said.

Natasha shook her head.

"No. King might have, but Alex and I were supposed to meet this evening. As far as I know, he doesn't – or at least, _didn't_ – know who Spiderman was."

Clint made a noise.

"Think he figured it out, but didn't bother to tell his information man?"

"Alex isn't muscle, really. King might have wanted to sound Peter out." She looked at the boy. "You said the guys with him didn't hear him call you Spiderman?"

"I don't think they did. He said they couldn't hear us, and none of them reacted to it. But I don't know."

"We'll ask him," Steve said. "Once he's out of surgery."

"You told them where you were taking him?" Romanoff asked Strange.

"_Tony_ did. And King told them to tell Alex where he was going – and that he'd be in touch."

She nodded.

"Then we can probably expect someone to come looking for him – to check on him."

"Or demand him back," Clint added.

"Mob or no mob, anyone who shows up on the front door with a weapon gets put in their place," Fury said. "Got it?"

"Yeah." Steve nodded. "We'll double check them."

Obviously.

"So what's the plan, then?" Clint asked. "We obviously need to know who knows about Peter Pony, here."

"We wait for King to come out of surgery and ask how he knew," Natasha said. "Then we find out who else knows."

"How do you keep him from telling anyone he wants to tell, though?" Steve asked.

Before anyone could answer, there was a motion at the door and Tony walked in, wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a worried look as he made a bee-line for Peter, his hand automatically going to the boy's forehead.

"Are you alright?" he frowned when he saw the fresh bandage on the boy's arm and the medical supplies left over from applying it. "Stephen?"

"He's fine, Tony. It looks like he was grazed by the bullet that hit King."

"He was _shot_?"

"Relax," Strange said. "He's _fine_. It was minor. Ten stitches and no chance of an infection."

"How's MJ?" Peter asked, trying to change the subject from himself. "Did you see her?"

"Yes. She's a bit shaken up, but she looked better by the time I sent her home." He looked back at Strange. "There was only _one_ shot. Were we wrong about the mob guy?"

"No. He was definitely hit. They have him in surgery, now. My guess is the bullet went through him and hit Peter when he was bringing him to the ground."

"You have the video, Tony?" Natasha asked, also trying to distract him from his concern.

"Yeah."

He sat down as the display in the room came on, and his hand automatically went to the back of Peter's neck as he asked Friday to bring up the footage the suit had recorded.

OOOOOO

Peter had his head on his arms by the time the others had watched Ironman's recording of the events at the park through a few times. Not because he was tired, or even particularly _sore_. He was just frustrated and upset. It wasn't how he'd wanted his day to go. Tony had heard Peter's telling of the events, and the shared what MJ had told him with the others. It was remarkably similar, considering it was common for two witnesses to something to have entirely different descriptions.

"So we wait for King to wake up, then," Stark said, eventually. They didn't have much more to chew on at the moment. "See what we're looking at for damage control."

"And we wait for someone to come looking for their boss."

"Unless they come with an army, I'm too worried about that. Are you, Nick?"

"No. I'm not worried if they _do_ come with an army, really."

"Do we have you call the information guy?" Tony asked Romanoff. "See what he knows?"

"No. He'll come here."

"Think so?"

"Yes."

"Should we be ready to repel boarders?" Clint asked.

"He'll come alone. The last thing they're going to want is a confrontation – especially with King inside."

"Well, stick around, then," Fury told her. "Just in case. You know him better than we do."

She nodded and they broke up their conference, informal as it was. Strange and Tony stayed with Peter. Tony because he was worried about his son, of course, and Strange to check and make sure he wasn't hurting.

"You okay?" Tony asked.

"No. Was MJ mad?"

"No. Of course not. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I should have just told him to give me money when I pulled him out of the water," Peter said, bleakly. "None of this would have happened."

Tony snorted.

"It's probably not that simple. Don't worry about it, alright? You have more important things to think about."

"Like what?"

"It's your turn to tell Pepper someone shot you."

"What?"

"I did it when Elmer hit you, remember? You were out of it, and that's fine. Steve did it when the guys in Syracuse shot you when they were trying to kidnap Shuri. It's your turn."

The boy frowned.

"We don't have to tell her, though, do we? I mean, it hardly hurts. Then she wouldn't need to worry."

"And how will you explain the stitches?" Stephen asked.

"I'll just wear long sleeves until they come out."

"Nope. Tony stood up. "When she comes home you and I'll meet her in the garage, and we will – very gently – tell her what happened, and assure her that you're not hurt and that the Russian mafia isn't after you."

"Which they aren't," Strange added, also standing. "As far as we know."

"Maybe it would be easier if we don't keep my identity a secret…" Peter suggested, as they walked down the corridor toward the medical lab area so they could check on how King was doing. "We wouldn't have to worry about who knows what…"

"It _would_ be easier in that respect," Tony agreed. "But it'd make many things a lot harder – and add some additional dangers for you that I'm not willing to allow, just yet. When you're out of school and not pinned to a particular place for eight hours a day, then we'll discuss it, again."

The boy sighed, but understood where Tony was coming from. He wasn't going to argue with him about it.

"Okay."

Stark put his arm around Peter as they walked.

"It's fine, son. I really don't think this mob guy was making a play for you – beyond trying to figure out who you are so he could reward you. Things just got out of hand."

"He got shot pulling me out of the way," Peter pointed out. "We can be even."

"Except that you wouldn't have been in any danger if he hadn't confronted you with his people there," Strange said. "So I wouldn't consider that issue closed, just yet."

Peter sighed. And then turned to Tony.

"Tell me what MJ said about me… was she mad? Worried?"

"You can call her later," Tony assured him. "Then you can see for yourself."

"Okay."


	133. Chapter 133

Pepper smiled when she saw them both waiting for her as she pulled into the parking garage. She was a little surprised, though, since she'd expected Peter to be later coming home from his date with MJ. As she parked the car, she knew something was up – and wrong – because Tony was smiling, but it was his I've done something wrong and how am I going to explain it to her smile, and Peter wasn't smiling, at all. He just looked worried – and was trying to hide it.

"Hey, honey," Tony said, opening her door for her and reaching for the bag that she automatically handed her.

She turned her head, offering him her cheek, and also giving her a chance to look at Peter.

"Is everything alright?"

Mom instinct kicking in? Tony looked over at Peter, waiting, and the boy shook his head.

"Not exactly."

"How was your date?"

The last thing she'd heard from him was when he'd checked in and texted her that he was at MJ's, picking her up.

"It went _bad_."

She frowned., looking between them – first at Tony and then at Peter, before looking back at Tony.

"_Someone_ tell me what's wrong."

"Joel King came looking for Peter," Tony told her.

"Who?"

"The Russian mafia guy."

Her eyes grew worried, and she looked the boy over, again.

"What happened?"

"I was walking with MJ in the park and he stopped us. He said he wanted to talk to me – and kept telling me that he had to give me a reward for saving him."

"He let MJ go, so she called me and Stephen and I latched onto Peter's GPS and got to him, almost immediately. One of his guys fired off a shot and hit him."

_"Peter?"_

"No, _Mr. King_," Peter said, quickly.

"_And_ Peter," Tony added.

_"What?"_

"Just a _little_," Peter said, quickly. "And just in my arm. It's barely a scratch."

"You were _shot_?"

"A little."

"Stephen took care of it, honey. Ten stitches and a bandage."

"Where?" she said. "Let me see."

He rolled up the sleeve of the shirt he was wearing – a short-sleeved one, now – and bared the brilliant white bandage.

"See? It's okay."

"Oh my God." She looked at Tony, her face pale. "He was _shot_?"

"Yeah."

"What about this mafia guy? Where is he?"

"He's _here_. They had him in surgery, and now he's in recovery."

"You brought him _here_ for medical care?"

"Yes."

"After he shot _Peter_?"

"_He_ didn't shoot me, mom," Peter told her, uncertain if calling her mom would be good or bad. It might make her smile, and calm her a little – or remind her that he was hers and make her even more upset. "One of his men shot him. And the bullet went through him and hit me."

"Which isn't _better_," she snapped. "What were you _thinking_, Tony?" she asked. "Bringing him here? He-"

"We need to know how he found out Peter's alter identity, Pep," Stark told her, even as Peter flinched. "That means talking to him and finding out who else knows – and what he plans to do with the information. So I had Stephen bring him here."

She scowled; understanding the reasoning, but not appreciating it.

"Where is he?"

"Recovery. In the medical unit."

"He doesn't get anywhere near Peter, Tony."

"Right."

"I _mean_ it. Either put a guard on him, or put a guard on Peter. Better _yet_, have Natasha and Clint stay with-"

"I'm _fine_," Peter interrupted. "I don't need a guard. He-"

Tony's expression grew pained, even as Pepper rounded on her son.

"You're not _fine_, Peter. For one thing, you've been _shot_. For another, there are _mobsters_ in the compound. Mobsters who are after you and God only knows what's going through their-"

"Only _one_," he said, quickly, trying to reassure. "And he's _hurt_. He can't hurt me."

"Of course he _can_." She turned back to Tony. "What are you going to do to him?"

"We have to wait for him to wake up, honey," he said, reasonably. "Then we'll decide once I talk to him."

"He saved my life," Peter added.

"You're not helping, son," Tony said, quietly.

"He _did_, though."

"Did you wander into the mafia den?" Pepper asked. "Or whatever they call it? Or did he come looking for you?"

"Oh. Well… he came to the park…"

"Then he didn't _save your life_. He put you in _danger_." She turned to Tony. "Do the other mafia folk know where their boss is?"

"I told them."

"So more could come looking for him?"

"Natasha expects _one_. Just one."

"For _now."_

"It's the _compound_, honey," Tony told her, trying to make her see to reason. "They could bring a hundred and Peter would be safe."

She scowled, understanding that he was right, of course, but not at all happy.

"I want to talk to Stephen. Where is he?"

"In the lounge."

She turned and headed for the door, and Peter and Tony looked at each other.

"That wasn't good, right?" Peter asked, uncertainly.

Tony knew her better than he did, after all.

"Yeah… _no_. She's worried about you, is all. Stephen will tell her you're fine, and he'll calm her down."

Hopefully.

"_Tony! Peter!"_

"We're coming."

He grabbed Peter – carefully, because of the injured arm – and they hurried to catch up with her.

OOOOOO

Stephen _was_ in the lounge. He was sitting with Natasha, a cup of coffee in front of him, and Nutmeg in his arms. The kitten was mostly asleep against his chest, purring loudly, being lulled by soft, hypnotic strokes of the doctor's hands as he conversed with Romanoff, obviously relaxed.

"Here she comes," the assassin said, noticing the arrival of Pepper, Tony and Peter.

"Wish me luck." He turned his attention to Pepper as she crossed the room to the corner table, but never stopped petting the kitten, hoping to keep it from distracting the conversation. The moment she was close enough, he nodded. "He's _fine_."

"You're sure?" She didn't bother with pleasantries; she just sat down across from him. "He had such a bad time with the last gunshot"

And the one before – but she didn't bother mentioning it.

"That one was much more serious, Pepper," Strange assured her. "This one barely hit him; it's almost more of a burn than a gunshot wound. Peter heals quickly and there's no chance of an infection."

She sighed, his calm tone – a tone that all doctors had when they were trying to reassure – easing her concern, as well.

"And this mafia boss?" she asked. "How is _he_?"

Her tone made him wonder if she wanted King to recover, or if she thought it might just be better for them – or _Peter_, at least – if he didn't leave the compound, at all. Strange had to admit, he was a little surprised by Pepper's mien, although he hid it behind his own cool façade. He decided that it was the mother instinct coming to the fore, determined to protect Peter from what she saw as a threat. And they couldn't promise that King wasn't a threat to the boy.

He was still out from the surgery.

"In recovery," Stephen answered. "The bullet went through his shoulder. It's a clean wound, but there was some muscle damage, so it's going to be painful. He should be waking up from the anesthesia within the hour – but he won't be coherent for a few hours."

"Then what?" she asked Tony, who had seated himself beside her while Strange was speaking.

"Natasha talks to him."

Romanoff nodded.

"I'll ask him how he discovered who Spiderman was – and who all knows, so we can work on damage control."

"And if everyone knows?"

"Then we'll deal with it, Pep."

"Don't assume the worst, yet," Natasha said. "From what Peter and MJ told us, it doesn't sound like he's shared the information with anyone else. I'll talk to him and find out."

She didn't look all that reassured. But she looked much less tense than she had, Stephen noticed.

"Can I get you something to drink, Pep?" Tony offered.

"Something alcoholic," she said. "_Very_ alcoholic." He left and she turned to Peter, who was still standing, uncertainly. "How's MJ?"

The boy shrugged.

"I haven't talked to her, yet. I wanted to give her a chance to get home and relax before I called to check on her."

"Cal her, then. But you stay away from our guest. Do you _understand_?"

There was really only one answer for that, and Peter knew it. He nodded.

"Yeah."


	134. Chapter 134

He came to slowly, an ache in his head, but the rest of his body almost numb. He groaned, trying to remember where he was, what had happened – and _who_ he was, for that matter. As he woke more, though, he remembered, of course. It just took a while. It wasn't the first time that he'd been injured, so he didn't panic; he just waited, allowing his mind and body to catch up with things. He didn't know how much time went by, but no one was bothering him, and he drifted, waiting for his head to clear.

Okay. He was Joel King. That was a good start. And, yeah, he _was_ hurting, now, but the pain was helping him focus. He looked around and saw that he was in a white room; white walls, white ceiling, and when he looked down at himself, he was in a white hospital gown with white bedding.

"So much _white_…"

His voice was raspy, his throat was dry.

The sound of a door opening got his attention at the same time the motion caught his peripheral vision. He turned his head, painfully, and saw two people entering the room. A male and a female. The woman he didn't know. The man he _did_. He didn't say anything, though; he just watched as they walked over to his bed and stood beside it.

"How do you feel?" Tony Stark asked him.

"Sore."

"Yeah. The doctors patched you up, but they said you were going to hurt for a while."

King nodded, and then remembered something else.

"Is your boy alright?"

The woman scowled, shifting and crossing her arms over her breasts. She was lovely; gorgeous eyes, classic lines and red hair that tumbled in curls, but Joel King suddenly felt like he was in the crosshairs of a very dangerous hunter, for some reason.

"Yeah. He's fine."

"I wasn't making a play for him," King said, wondering why he was trying to justify himself, but wanting to Stark to understand that he hadn't been trying to kidnap his kid, or anything like that. He supposed when you were richer than shit like Tony Stark was, that would probably be the first thing that always came to mind. King was a lot of things – and he wasn't a nice man, most of the time – but he didn't mess with children. "I was trying to _talk_ to him."

"Yeah?"

"He saved my life a little while back. Me and my wife. I _owe_ him."

"Which leads us to the question of _how_ you knew it was _Peter_…" Tony said.

King hesitated, and then shrugged - with one shoulder.

"I recognized his voice. My wife was watching something about your wedding, and he was giving a speech at the reception."

"His _voice_?"

"I was _drowning_. He was all I could hear when we were in the water. I knew his voice when I heard it."

"Who else knows?" The woman asked.

King suddenly knew why he felt she was so dangerous,

"You're _Romanoff_."

"Yes."

"If I say no one else knows, do I need to worry about being silenced to keep it a secret?"

He was being serious, and Natasha knew it, he could tell. _Stark_, however, frowned, as if the idea appalled him.

"Does anyone else know?" Romanoff asked, her expression unreadable.

"No."

"How do we keep it that way?" Stark asked.

"I'm not telling anyone," King assured them. _Romanoff_, specifically. "I just want to reward the kid. That's what this is all about. It's an _honor_ thing." Now it was Stark's turn to scowl, and the mafia front man assumed the look to mean that the billionaire didn't think that he had any understanding of the word. He felt his expression tighten, just a little, in response to the implied insult. "Honor means a lot where I'm from."

"I wasn't doubting you," Stark told him – and King believed him. He looked at Romanoff, but her gaze was only on King, who suddenly felt exhausted. It must have showed. "You need some rest."

"Have you heard from my people?"

"No," Romanoff told him.

"Is there someone we can call?"

"No. They'll be calling you, eventually."

"We'll talk more, later," Stark said. "Get some rest."

The billionaire left the room with Romanoff, and a moment later a couple of medics came in and started asking how he was feeling, where he hurt, and fiddling with his IV tubes. Before he could grasp that they could have just put something lethal in the syringe one had been holding, King drifted off to sleep.

OOOOOO

"Hey."

_"Hi."_

"Is this a good time?" Peter hesitated, because MJ had an odd look in her expression, and he didn't recognize it.

_"Yes. Are you alright?"_

"Yeah. I'm fine. I was calling to make sure you were, too."

_"I am."_ She hesitated. _"That was scary."_

"Yeah. I'm sorry. He wasn't going to hurt us. He said he wanted to talk, but I don't think he thought Tony would let him talk to me if he asked permission, first."

_"He didn't hurt you?"_

"No."

_"I didn't want to leave you alone with them…"_ and suddenly her eyes were bright with tears. "_I'm sorry I ran away."_

"I told you to," he reminded her. "It was brave of you to run like that."

_"I need to go,"_ she told him, abruptly.

Peter nodded.

"Can I call you, later, though?"

_"I'll call you."_

The call ended, and her image vanished. Peter sighed, and sat down on his bed, reaching for Nutmeg, who had been watching him.

"Think she's mad at me?" he asked the kitten, brushing the fuzzy head with his chin. "Did she _look_ mad?"

He didn't get a reply, of course. Nutmeg knew less about girls than Peter did, after all.

OOOOOO

"Well?"

"He's a _threat_."

"To _Peter_?"

"To Peter's secret identity."

"Think he'll tell?"

"I think we're in a precarious situation, Tony," Romanoff replied. "No. He won't tell. He knows who Peter is, and could threaten him any time. But… the reverse is true, too. He just gave himself away mentioning his wife. If we were worried, we could use her as leverage to guarantee his silence. But it's a slippery slope we don't really want to tread. A wrong move and suddenly the Avengers are going to find themselves in a war with the mafia."

"Yeah, we'll want to avoid that, obviously." They had better things to do. And he didn't want to risk something blowing up in their faces like that. "Recommendations?"

"Figure out a reward that King can give Peter."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"I don't even know what to give him for _back to school_, Natasha. The kid doesn't _need_ anything – and you know he's ridiculously hard to buy for. What's he going to want from a mobster?"

"That's what this is all about, though," she told him. "His honor says that he needs to square up with Peter."

Now Stark scowled.

"I'm going to go _insane_. You realize that, right?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

Before she could say more, though, she reached up to her ear, and looked over at him.

"What's up?" he asked, recognizing that she must have just received a message in her communications.

"The mafia is knocking on our front door."

"We'd better go say hello, then."

"Yeah."


	135. Chapter 135

Clint had been sitting with Strange and Pepper in the lounge when he got the call over his comm from Steve. He pushed his glass aside and stood up.

"Gotta go."

"What's up?" Strange asked, curiously. He hadn't seen Natasha for a little while, now, and knew she was with Tony – and that they had every intention of talking to King.

Clint's sudden departure made him need to verify that nothing had gone wrong with that – even though he couldn't think of anything that could.

"Steve's got company at the front door. He's asking for Nat."

Pepper frowned.

"Is it the mafia?"

"Probably." Barton smiled. "Don't worry. Nat has this guy's number. She's more dangerous than all these guys put together. Even better; they _know_ it."

They watched him leave, and Stephen watched as Pepper downed her drink in a final gulp.

"I'm going to go check on Peter."

He wasn't surprised.

"Want company?"

"No, it's fine." She smiled, resting her hand on his arm for just a moment. "I just want to see if he's called MJ."

OOOOOO

"Let me handle this one, alright?"

"Yeah."

The man standing beside the small foreign sportscar looked uncomfortable. Of course, he almost certainly _was_. Steve and Clint were both watching him, just then – as was Nick Fury. The three men were standing between the other man and the entrance to the building. None were speaking, and Barton had only moved long enough to verify the man's claim that he wasn't armed. There was no way they were going to allow a stranger – especially one associated with the mafia – inside their compound, just then. But he certainly wasn't going to be allowed a weapon of any kind.

Alex Zihov looked over Fury's shoulder as Romanoff and Tony Stark exited the building and walked over to stand with Clint, Steve and Fury.

"Alex…"

The information man nodded, once.

"Natasha. You have something that belongs to me."

"Yes."

"I need him back."

"He made a play, Alex. Did you know he was going to?"

"Of course not. Is he alright?"

"Yeah. He's out of surgery and in recovery. We just left him. A shoulder wound – through and through."

"Can I see him?"

"He's not a prisoner. Weapons?"

The man looked at Clint, who shrugged.

"He's clean. I didn't check the car, but he's not carrying."

"No promises he'll be up to having a conversation with you."

"I just need to make sure he's alright so I can tell the others." He glanced at Tony. "Word was that Ironman came swooping in while he was at a picnic in the park, shot him and kidnapped him."

Romanoff raised an eyebrow.

"That's the word?"

"It _was_. Until they tried to come up with something else."

"I happen to have a video of one of your guys shooting King. Is that what the word ended up being?"

"Something like that."

"Did your word mention that your guy's bullet hit a 16-year-old kid?"

If her expression had been softening during the conversation, it was suddenly ice cold as she said it. Zihov shook his head.

"That's the first I've heard of it."

"Why am I not surprised?"

Of course, they hadn't known Peter was shot until he'd admitted it to them well after he'd returned to the compound. But it didn't make her any less furious.

"Do I get to see him?"

Natasha looked at Tony, who correctly interpreted the look to mean it was up to him. He didn't speak, though; he just nodded. She'd told him to let her do the talking, after all.

"Let's go."

She turned and headed inside, with Tony beside her. Zihov followed and Clint and Steve brought up the rear. Fury didn't leave the porch area. He didn't need to follow the others. He was more than certain they wouldn't need his help with the guy, after all.

OOOOOOOO

Peter was on his couch in the living room of his quarters. He wasn't doing anything, figuring he was probably better off just staying under the radar for a while. Tony was busy – _obviously_ – dealing with yet another problem that he'd caused, and Pepper wasn't happy with him for being shot and causing _her_ more worry. Not that he blamed her.

He sighed, looking at the kitten that was on his chest, blue eyes watching him as he pet him.

"You're probably going to wish you ended up on a different doorstep, _too_, some day," he murmured, feeling the sting of tears as he found himself drowning in a giant pool of self-pity.

He was just bad luck.

"_Pepper's at the door,"_ Karen told him, just before there was a knock.

Now that the AI was configured to the entire compound in order to track Nutmeg, she could access all the security cameras for him.

"Come in."

The door opened and she poked her head into his quarters.

"Are you decent?"

He nodded, watching her and trying to decide if she was still mad. It had been a while. Maybe she was over some of it?

"Yeah."

She walked over and sat down on the couch next to him, and frowned. He looked so sad, even though he had Nutmeg purring full force on his chest.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded, looking away, automatically – which told her that he wasn't.

"Yeah. It doesn't hurt much."

Which wasn't what she meant, of course. Pepper shifted gears to try to find out what was wrong. She had Peter figured out by now, and knew that he wasn't forthcoming when it came to telling them if something was bothering him. Not unless it was a direct question Sometimes it was easier to work into the problem.

"Good. Did you call MJ?"

"Yes. She said she's fine, but got off the call pretty quick. She's probably mad at me, too."

And there it was. Pepper saw his lower lip tremble, and knew that it wasn't MJ who had upset him. Or at least, it wasn't _just_ MJ.

"Sweetheart, no one's mad at you."

"I was just trying to help…"

"Peter…"

"And I didn't want anything for saving him. I'd have saved _anyone_. I couldn't let him drown. I just-"

She reached out and touched his face, catching a tear that was trickling down his cheek. Not only was he wrong to be upset, but she could see the fledgling beginnings of a potential panic attack. It was definitely time to rein him in.

"Peter. _Look at me_." He did, and Pepper made a sad noise at the woeful expression on his face. Poor baby. "You didn't do anything wrong, honey. You absolutely had to rescue this mob guy. No matter who he was. Even if you'd known who he was at the time. Right?"

"Yes."

"It isn't your fault that he wouldn't take no for an answer. That's on him."

"But you're mad."

"At _him_. Not at you." Another tear escaped, catching on his lower eyelash and she brushed it away with her thumb. "I'm sorry if I yelled. I was upset."

"Because of me."

"No, honey."

He lowered his head, unwilling to look at her, because he knew better – even if she didn't. She was worried, and about him. Tony was probably worried about him. He knew Natasha was worried about him and who knew how many others? Stephen and the others, too. He was just a giant bad luck charm. And now MJ was acting weird.

"I'm sorry."

Pepper pulled him into a hug, mindful of his bandaged shoulder and his indignant kitten, and he went, willingly, one arm going around her and the other holding Nutmeg.

"Don't be," she crooned. "We love you, Peter."


	136. Chapter 136

A/N: Happy Father's Day to you dads (and single parent moms)! I'm sorry about the erratic posting, lately - and it will remain erratic for another couple of days. In between today being father's day and a barrage of doctor appointments, I'm going to be busy the next few days. I will definitely try to avoid cliffhangers, though. Wish me luck, the new foot should be done on Monday.

OOOOO

"He's not going to wake up?"

The doctor rolled her eyes.

"He _will_. But not this moment. He's heavily medicated and if I _did_ try to wake him to speak with you, you'd end up speaking to a zombie who would have zero chance of even remembering your _name_, much less what the discussion was about."

Zihov frowned at that, looking from his sleeping boss to the doctor.

"When will he be awake enough to talk to?"

"Tomorrow, most likely."

"Are you _kidding_ me? I can't-"

"I'd suggest you not raise your voice, here, Alex," Natasha said, her expression unreadable – which was Romanoff at her most dangerous. "You're a _guest_."

Tony only barely forced himself not to roll his eyes at the whole _guest/host_ thing. He didn't say anything, though, he just waited for the man to heed the warning – which he did, immediately.

"I'm not leaving him unguarded, here," the information man said, his voice now back to its regular register. "You don't _really_ expect me to, do you?"

"You don't trust the Avengers to keep him safe?" the doctor asked, surprised.

"No offense, but I wouldn't trust his mother to keep him safe, here. That's why he has bodyguards."

"No."

Natasha nodded her agreement with Tony.

"That isn't going to happen. You know that..."

"Then _I'll_ stay."

"How will you protect him, _unarmed_?" she asked, pointedly.

He scowled.

"I'll keep an eye on him. Make sure no one does anything. Or that if something _does_ happen to him the right people learn about it."

Romanoff looked at Stark.

"Well?"

"Pepper's not going to like it."

"She'd prefer one, unarmed, than a dozen at our doorstep, with guns."

"Yeah." He shrugged. "Do whatever you think best," he told her. "I trust you. Make sure he stays away from Peter."

She nodded, looking at Alex.

"He won't go near him."

Stark left and the two were silent for a minute, sizing each other up.

"Who's Peter?"

She checked his expression and decided that he didn't know. Which wasn't completely unheard of, after all. They kept Peter as low key as possible for just that reason, and the son of a superhero – _or_ a billionaire – wasn't nearly as interesting as the hero himself. Unless you were into the society scene or you were someone thinking about trying a kidnapping.

"His son."

"Oh." Then it clicked in his head, she could see. His expression changed. "That's the kid my people were saying Joel was talking to?"

"Yes."

Hers _didn't_ change, but that could have been a tell for someone as smart as he was and as good at reading people as he was – although very few were a match for her. He was smart enough not to voice it, though, and confirm his thoughts.

"They stay here?"

That wasn't a secret.

"Yes."

"Why? This place is out in the sticks."

"That's why."

"Huh. Okay." He started to say something else, and Natasha spoke, first.

"Peter was hit by the same bullet that King was."

This time it was Alex who kept his expression still, but she knew he understood the warning that she'd just given him. She'd mentioned a sixteen-year-old getting hit with a bullet, but now he knew who the kid was.

Ironman was a ridiculously dangerous enemy to have, really. Especially if you didn't know Tony Stark and just believed the façade that he showed the world. Firepower in the extreme and a network of superheroes at his beck and call apparently. He couldn't be blackmailed because he wallowed in all the illegal or immoral things he'd done in his past – he certainly didn't hide from it. Not to mention enough money to do what he wanted and be above bribery.

A father with a son injured – by a bullet, no less? Someone who had every reason to hate? Or to squash what was a clear threat to his son? That was a serious threat – to King and, now, to Alex, as well, since he was there.

"Did he make it?"

It might have been a callous question, but he had to know. If Joel had done something to get Stark's boy killed, there was no way they were coming out of this one intact.

"Yeah. He's here, _though_, and that puts him closer to you guys than he'd like."

Which was her explaining why they were allowing one person to be with King – unarmed – rather than more. But he still wasn't sure they were really all that safe – despite being around a building filled with the people who normally would be called the good guys. No one was the good guys to the mob, really, and the _good guys_ were usually the biggest threat.

"Got it."

He actually appreciated the warning.

"I'll advise you not to wander around while you're here."

He snorted, now, unable to help himself.

"Don't wander around the secret Avenger's base. _Got_ it."

Now Romanoff's expression had a slight smile, but she didn't acknowledge it.

"It's not a secret base, but yeah. Stay in here, alright? I'll have them bring you something to eat in a while, and if you need anything just let one of the medics who come in and out know, and they'll let me know."

"Yeah. Thanks."

She left, then, and he looked around, a moment, and then settled into a chair to wait.

OOOOOO

"Friday? Where's Peter?"

"_In his quarters."_

"Pepper?"

"_In with Peter."_

Perfect.

Tony left the mobsters to Natasha – for the moment, at least – and turned his direction toward Peter's rooms. The door was slightly ajar when he reached them, and he poked his head in, to make sure he wasn't interrupting anything. Pepper was on the sofa with Peter, who was turned away from him. She had her arms around him, holding him, and the image made Tony smile. God, he loved seeing the two of them together. Especially since she'd lost that annoyed look, now, and he thought maybe she was getting over her shock. She was pretty good at that, after all. She'd had a lot of shocks when dealing with him at his worst.

She noticed him, immediately, of course, looking up without moving her chin from where it was resting on the top of Peter's head, and smiled.

He moved into the room, and took his spot on the opposite of Peter from her, bracing him between them.

"Everything okay?" he asked, sliding his hand along the boy's back.

Peter tensed, which told Tony that he hadn't noticed him come in. That made him smile, too, because those senses of him warned him when people were around. Except people who were so familiar to him that they didn't even register as anything other than an extension of himself. Peter had mentioned it to him once when he'd realized what had happened and that was the only thing that they could think of that made sense.

"Yes," Pepper said, softly, reaching over Peter, and brushing her fingertips along his jaw, tracing the facial hair all the way to his nose. "Just spending some time holding my son."

Which made _them_ both smile, although Tony heard a somewhat muffled sniff come from somewhere around Pepper's collarbone. And then a somewhat annoyed sounding mew from much lower, that made Peter pull away from Pepper and look down. Tony realized he was holding Nutmeg.

"How's the arm?" he asked.

"It hardly hurts," Peter assured him, turning to look at Tony, who saw that he'd been crying.

Normally, he'd wonder good tears or bad, but there was no doubt this time. Not when he saw the distress in the boy's expression and the hurt that clearly had nothing to do with his arm or the stitches that Stephen had put in it.

"What's wrong, Peter?" Tony asked, reaching out and brushing the boy's hair back before touching his check. "You look like you lost your best friend."

"No. Ned still likes me."

"It's _MJ_ that he's not so sure of," Pepper said, her expression telling him there was more to the problem than that.

"Ah."

"How's Mr. King?" Peter asked.

He didn't want to talk about MJ, just then. The slight scowl that Tony couldn't hide – or didn't try to hide – told him that King wasn't exactly his favorite topic, either. He shrugged, though.

"He's out of surgery and in recovery. Natasha and I spoke to him for a minute." He looked at Pepper. "You know he wasn't making a play on you, right? He said – and we both believe him – that he wasn't trying to hurt you."

That was more for _Pepper_, really. Peter hadn't been afraid of King, Tony knew.

"What did he want, then?" she asked.

"The same thing we've known all along. He wants to make things even with Peter since he saved him and his wife."

"How did he figure out who I was?"

Tony rolled his eyes.

"He told us his wife was watching some entertainment thing that showcased the wedding – or the reception, I think – and he heard your voice and recognized it from when you two were in the water."

"Are you kidding me?" Pepper asked. "His _voice_?"

"That's how MJ caught on, too…" Peter said, looking apologetic. "That and the time lapses matched."

"Yeah," Tony looked a little chagrined. "We need to figure out a voice modulator, or something, clearly. Once we get rid of our guests, we'll hit the workroom, okay?"

Peter nodded and then caught the plural.

"Guests?"

"A bodyguard for King. Nothing to be concerned about." He looked at the incomplete sunroom that he and Stephen had been working on for Nutmeg. "Why don't you and Pepper help me finish building that thing? Stephen didn't even want to try. He just wanted wiggle his fingers and put it together with magic."

"What's wrong with that?" Pepper asked as Peter handed her Nutmeg and moved off the sofa to look at the jumble of boards and brackets and wire mesh.

"Because it's not the way to do everything, Pep," Tony said. "If you build it with your hands, you know it's done right. Who knows what kind of leftover nut or bolt the finger wiggling thing might leave out?"

She rolled her eyes and sat back, fingers carding through the kitten's fuzzy sides as she watched Tony join Peter – who had picked up the directions and was looking at them.

This should be interesting.


	137. Chapter 137

"What in the _world_…?"

Tony looked over, wiping his brow as he did, and smirked when he saw that Stephen and Natasha had walked into Peter's quarters.

"You're just in time," the billionaire said, setting his screwdriver in his toolbox.

"What did you _do_?" Natasha asked, curiously, leaning on the back of the sofa, but looking at the window. Or rather, at the new addition to the window.

It was the kitty sunroom, all right. Sticking out of the window maybe two feet, and the entire size of the window. It had a wooden base, which was then covered with a thin layer of metal and then a rug – not a Jabari rug, just a cotton one. The walls were a frame of weather seasoned wood, covered with a mesh wire frame along the sides and the front part, easily small enough to keep the kitten from being able to get himself stuck anywhere. There was a bad weather shield; basically a piece of polyfiber plastic that would slide along the surface an keep the cold, rain or even snow out.

Just like the directions had suggested.

The directions hadn't suggested the clear plastic tubing that ran out the side of the sunroom and along the outer wall of the compound, returning back inside through a newly formed hole in Peter's bedroom wall. Strange walked over to look at it, and saw that the tubing was plastic on the bottom, but was more mesh covering it, to allow fresh air and the illusion of being in a tree or something.

"We just added to the original specifications," Tony told her. "In case Nutmeg wants to go into Peter's bedroom when the door is closed."

"And it gives him a little more space to run around," Peter added.

"He has the entire _compound_," Natasha reminded them both. "How much more room does he need?"

"Especially since he's about the size of a _rat_. And a _little_ one, at that."

Tony took Nutmeg from Pepper's lap, where the kitten had been sleeping, oblivious to the work going on around him – and _for_ him.

"Don't listen to him," Tony crooned to the kitten, who woke with the motion and put his front paw on Tony's nose to keep himself from being cuddled too closely. Even by _Ironman_. "You need all kinds of space, _don't_ you?"

Strange rolled his eyes, making Peter smile.

"How did you get the tubing to stay there while you bolted it to the outside of the – never mind, you had _Peter_ do it, right?"

"No sense having a son who can climb up walls if you're not going to take advantage of that ability now and then," Tony told him, winking at Peter as he walked over to the window.

"Wait…" Natasha said, uncertainly. "Did you check it _all_? You're _sure_ it'll stay in place?"

"I checked it from the outside," Peter assured her. "I sat on it and tugged all of it – then double-checked the screens. It'll hold him."

"We could even put _Ironpig_ in here, if we wanted to," Tony told them.

He set the kitten inside the sunroom, and they all watched him, expectantly. Nutmeg looked around it for a moment, and then jumped down from the sunroom, walked over and climbed up Peter's pantleg with an annoyed mew. The boy caught him before he reached his shirt, well aware that those sharp little claws would easily go through the thin fabric and he'd end up with scratches on his belly.

Stephen snorted, amused.

"Well, that was two hours and a new hole in the wall wasted," Natasha said.

Pepper smiled, too, but she disagreed. The building task had distracted Peter, and that was more than good enough reason for he and Tony to have spent the time together. The boy was smiling again – and had had the fun of hanging on the side of the building and creating with Tony.

So really, _both_ of her guys were in a good mood, now. Even if the kitten wasn't impressed. Even better, since he had his tools, Tony had helped Peter hang his new painting on the wall of his living room and the black panther looking out over Wakanda was now looking over Peter's room as well. It looked great.

"We're ready to eat dinner," Natasha said. "Care to join us?"

"An offer we can't refuse," Tony said. He looked at his son. "Peter?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Leave that stuff," Stark told him, when Peter started to put the tools back into the toolbox. "I'll come get them, later."

"Alright."

OOOOOOO

"He's fine, Marie. We just aren't going to want to move him today… Yes… Yes… No, I'll tell him when he wakes up. Right. Okay. I'll come and check on you tomorrow. If you need anything, call me and I'll have someone take care of it… Good night."

A movement from the bed caught Zihov's attention just as he was ending the call and he got out of his chair and walked over to look at the occupant. His boss had his eyes open, but looked exhausted and wan. He recognized him, though.

"Alex…"

"Yeah, Joel. How are you feeling?"

"I can't feel my arm. Is it still there?"

The information man smiled, slightly, and nodded.

"Yeah. They have you pretty heavily medicated. I'm not surprised."

"You talked to Marie?"

"Just got off the phone with her. She says next time, if you don't want to have company over, just say something. Don't go getting shot up."

King snorted.

"She sounds okay?"

"Yeah, she isn't freaking out." He hesitated. "What were you _thinking_? Why didn't you talk to me, first?"

"I'm not a child, Alex. I didn't need permission."

"That's not what I meant. Do you know what it looks like, though? You going after a kid like that? You could have unleashed some serious backlash – and still might have."

"I just wanted to talk to him. _Just_ him."

"Is he the one, then?"

"I'm better off not confirming that, Alex. And so are _you_, I think."

Which told him what he needed to know He was a little annoyed – maybe even a _lot_ annoyed – that King had somehow solved the mystery without his help and wanted to know how. But he didn't ask.

"_Did_ you? Talk to him, I mean."

"Yeah. But he just said the same thing he already told me."

"Maybe you should just drop it."

The mobster scowled.

"I'm not going to drop it. I'd be dead if he hadn't saved me. Even more, _Marie_ would be, too. What if I had lived and she hadn't made it?"

"Then I suggest you talk to Stark, and leave the kid out of things. Ask _him_ what the boy wants. He'd probably know better that Peter, anyway. Kids don't know diddly."

King nodded, looking moody about the whole thing.

"Probably. Did you find out who shot me?"

"Yeah. They tried to pin it on Stark, first, but that didn't last long."

"You're taking care of it?"

"Yeah Sure. Not until we get this mess fixed, first. They're saying you can't be moved, today – maybe not even tomorrow. So until it's safe to move you, you're sticking around here. No bodyguards, though. For obvious reasons, they're not going to let a bunched of armed underlings hang out – especially when of them is the reason you're here in the first place."

"Yeah." He shifted, and winced. "Now I can feel my arm. They let you in?"

"Yeah. I'm going to stick around. To keep an eye on things."

He was careful not to use the word baby-sitter, but they both knew that was what he meant.

"They taking good care of you?"

"They fed me, and I haven't collapsed, yet. A nurse, or doctor, or something, said they'd roll in an extra bed, too, so I can't complain."

"Good."

He sighed, clearly tired.

"Go to sleep, Joel. No one's going to mess with you. I promise."

"Thanks, Alex."

Comforted enough to allow him to relax, King did just that.


	138. Chapter 138

"Are you okay?"

Peter looked up at Natasha, who was smiling down at him, one of the few people that could sneak up on him without really even trying.

"Yeah. Just thinking."

She sat down on the sofa that he was sitting on, Nutmeg on his chest, cuddling the kitten while he'd watched the others play cards. It was well after dinner, and even though they'd asked him if he wanted to play scrabble or another game that he could join in on, he'd shaken his head and opted to just sit still and relax a little.

"About bacon and _ham_?" she asked, her gaze going to the pig that Tony had tucked under one arm while he played cribbage.

The boy smiled at that.

"He has a _name_, Natasha. We can't eat him. Besides, he's cute and Tony loves him."

"Reminds me of a teenager I know."

He sighed.

"Ironpig doesn't cause him all the worry and problems that I do, though."

"No one said having a teenager was going to be easy. He thinks you're worth it. I know, _I_ think you are."

"A typical problem is one thing; sneaking out to go to parties, or a party while the folks are gone. That's _normal_. There are mobsters here because of me – and one of them was shot."

"_That's_ not on you, though," she reminded him.

"I saved him."

"And we already discussed that it was the right thing to do," she reminded him, sternly. "The rest of it – him not giving up – and even more insane; him coming directly _to you_ – that's poor planning on his part. He's lucky he's _alive_, really."

"Tony wouldn't have killed him."

"I know."

The very real fact was there between them, though. _Natasha_ most certainly would have, had she been the one coming through the portal just in time to see guns coming up anywhere near Peter. It was thrilling to him to know that she was so deadly – he couldn't help it, he was a romantic at heart and a movie buff, to boot, after all. Not to mention a teenager who was very impressionable when it came to those around him.

Peter nodded, accepting that. And switched to what might have been a bigger concern to him, just then.

"MJ is acting odd. I think the whole thing freaked her out."

"Yeah? That's not too surprising; it was probably scary for her."

"Yeah." He sighed. "She said she'd call me, but she hasn't."

"Give her time. It hasn't been that long."

"I know." He looked at his watch with the hand not holding his kitten. "I'm going to go call Shuri."

"Good." He looked like he could use some cheering up – which had been the whole point of her leaving the card game to go talk to him and sound him out. Well, not _all_ of it, but enough. She also liked his company and had missed having him all to herself while the Wakandans were visiting. The assassin reached out and took the kitten. "I'll keep this little guy out of your way."

Peter smiled at that, and leaned into her for a hug – which she was more than willing to provide.

"Send him home when you get tired of dealing with him," he told her, brushing a kiss against her cheek before she had a chance to do it to him – to try and make him blush. "I'll be in my room."

"Oooo," she made a show of him leaving them to make his call. "It's going to be a _private_ conversation?"

And then he _did_ blush – which made _her_ smile and _him_ roll his eyes.

"I don't want her to have to listen to you guys talking about your cribbage nonsense."

They both stood up and headed to the table where Pepper and Tony were playing cards with Stephen. All of them looked up when they approached.

"Are you off to bed?" Tony asked.

"No. I'm going to go call Shuri, though. Just to see what she's up to. Do you need anything before I go?"

"Bring me another cup of coffee?"

"Yeah." He looked at the others, but they shook their heads, and Peter picked up Tony's coffee cup and brought it back a moment later. By then, Natasha and Nutmeg were settled in a chair across from Stephen, obviously waiting for the current game to end so Romanoff could join the next. "I'll see you in the morning."

He leaned down and hugged Tony, first, since he was closest to him and the billionaire reached up to return it, mindful of the bandaged arm.

"Goodnight, son."

He repeated the gesture with Pepper, holding her a little longer and burying his nose against her cheek, apologizing silently for all the worry he was causing her. Then he winked at Natasha as he walked by Strange and reached out and ruffled his hair, messing it up before the sorcerer had any idea what was happening.

"You _scamp_."

Stephen made as if to take a swiped at him, but Peter dodged him, easily, and left.

"Is he alright?" Tony asked Romanoff.

Proving he hadn't missed them chatting, and assumed correctly that she was sounding him out to see how he was doing. Tony would have done it, himself, later, but Romanoff had beaten him to it. He'd had a rough day, after all.

"He's moody."

"He's a _teenaged_ _boy_," Strange pointed out, not looking up from his cards. "He's _supposed_ to be moody. Even if you don't add in the day that he's had and what's going on with your mobster buddies. I'm surprised he's not much worse."

"He's ridiculously well grounded for someone dealing with everything he faces," Pepper said. "May did an amazing job with him."

They were all quiet for a moment, and it was Tony who spoke up next, changing the tone of the conversation as he usually did when things went too emotional for him.

"Does he need anything?"

"He's just going to go call Shuri. I'll check in on him before I go to bed – I have to give him his kitten back, anyway."

"You'll let me know if you see anything off?"

"You know I will."

"More _off_ than Ironman sitting in a card game with a pig in a red and gold sweater in his arms?" Strange asked, sarcastically, looking at him, pointedly.

"He was _cold_, Stephen," Tony said. "He doesn't have any hair."

Pepper snorted, and Tony winked at her.

The magician just rolled his eyes.

OOOOOO

_"Wait… a mobster came after you?"_

"Yeah. Not to _hurt_ me, though. He's telling me that he has to repay me for me saving him and his wife when they wrecked their car."

_"Well, he is right. He owes you – as does his wife. You must think of something that he can do to repay you."_

"I didn't save him for a _reward_, Shuri," Peter said, a little frustrated that she was not helping him – and seemed to be taking the mobster's side. "I've saved people, before, and not asked for anything. Well, a lady gave me a churro, once, but that was for giving her directions, and she didn't have to do it."

_"It is a matter of honor, though, Peter,"_ she said, gravely. _"Can you think of nothing you require?"_

"No."

_"How did he know it was you?"_

"Said he recognized my voice."

_"I will make sure your new suit has a vocal modulator."_

"You're still working on it?"

_"Of course._" She smiled. _"You saved my life, too, remember? I owe you."_

He rolled his eyes.

"You're supposed to be helping me, Shuri."

_"I am sorry, Peter. Honor is very important here. You know that."_

"Yeah."

Didn't he just?

_"So what happened?"_ she asked, her digital image making it clear she was interested.

"He let MJ go, she ran and called Tony. Him and Stephen came in through one of his portals and Mr. King got shot by one of his guys – who shot me, too. In the _arm_," he added, hastily, so she couldn't worry.

_"You were injured?"_

"Just a little."

_"If you had the suit I am working on available, that would not have happened."_

He smiled.

"I can't walk around in my Spiderman suit on a date," Peter reminded her.

_"The nanotech will be designed to activate quickly,"_ she told him._ "I do not have the capabilities to make a mental activation such as Tony's, but once he relays Karen over to me, I can make it voice and touch."_

"That's too much."

_"It is only what is needed,"_ she corrected. He had a feeling she was just glad to have something more challenging than a mag train to work on, and she wasn't bothering to hide the fact. _"I owe you my life, after all. Was MJ injured?"_

"No. But she _was_ scared, I think. I don't know how to make that right with her."

Shuri shrugged, making a face.

_"I cannot help you with that, I am afraid. Your suit should be ready for initial testing, soon. Will Dr. Strange portal you here?"_

"I'll ask him."

Not that he couldn't use the teleportation stone, but she didn't know about that, and it was probably just as well.

_"I will let you know."_

"Thanks, Shuri."

_"My pleasure, Peter. Good luck with your mobster."_

The boy scowled at her smile, but he wasn't annoyed enough to not smile.

"He isn't _my_ mobster. But thank you."

She ended the call, and Peter leaned back in the sofa, turning his head to look at the black panther picture hanging on his wall.

He couldn't think of anything he needed from the mobster. Even worse if the guy decided that his wife needed to get him something, too. He scowled, starting to feel moody, again.

Ironman and Thor never had this problem.


	139. Chapter 139

"Are you going to sleep on your couch?" Natasha asked him, a couple of hours later when she delivered Nutmeg to his room before going to bed.

Peter smiled and shook his head, taking the kitten from her and getting up from the sofa.

"I just didn't want to go to bed until you came back with him. Is Stephen gone?"

"Yes. Everyone's gone to bed, so I decided that _I_ should, too. Do you need anything?"

He shrugged.

"Can _you_ think of anything I need? Something to even out this thing with Mr. King? I don't even know what to ask for, and _Shuri_ wasn't any help, going on and on about how he's right, and it's all about honor and blah blah."

She shook her head.

"I'd say tell him to make a huge donation to someplace like the orphanage in Wakanda that we went shopping for, but that wouldn't work, because it isn't for _you_. I have a thought, but I'm going to sleep on it, too."

"You'll let me know if it turns out to be a good one?"

"You _know_ I will." The assassin hugged him, mindful of the kitten he was holding. "Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

"Okay."

"I love you."

Peter smiled at that.

"I love you, too."

He walked with her to the door, and then closed it and headed for bed. He was ready; like he'd said, he'd just been waiting for his cat.

"Are you going to sleep with me?" he asked the kitten as he settled on his bed and double checked that the polymorph was still forming a cage around the Ironman doll that protected it from the kitten's nocturnal wandering.

The thing was anchored to his nightstand with some brackets that he'd gotten from Tony for just that purpose, and was the only way to keep his doll safe from Nutmeg, who loved to grab it and carry it around like a defeated enemy. Which, of course, made the toddler inside Peter scream and throw a fit. More than once.

It wasn't comfortable.

As if to answer him the kitten hopped off the bed and wandered out of the bedroom, not needing any more light than Peter did to see where he was going and what mischief he could get into. The boy shook his head, running a quick mental list of everything that was in the living room and the bathroom, making sure nothing dangerous had been left out that the kitten could hurt himself with. The sunroom was closed off at the moment, and everything else was pretty much picked up.

If it wasn't, he'd clean it up in the morning. He asked Karen to turn off the lights, and he went to bed.

OOOOOOO

_"What do you need?"_

_"Peter felt a wave of frustration go through him at the question, and he scowled at the mobster._

_"Nothing."_

_"I have to give you something, kid. You're Spiderman, right?"_

_"Yes. But I don't need anything."_

_"You saved me."_

_"I save a lot of people."_

_Maybe not as many as the real Avengers did, but he had his moments, sometimes._

_"You didn't save _May_."_

_He quailed at the words. They were true, of course, and he had no defense against them._

_"He _couldn't _save May," a new voice said. A masculine voice that made Peter frown, because he didn't recognize it – even in his dream. "She was beyond saving. He knows that."_

_He did, of course, but felt raw, and unnerved, as he usually did when the nightmares would strike him._

_"He _has _to have a reward," now it was King, again._

_"I don't want anything for saving you."_

_"That isn't how it works, kid. I want you to be happy. A reward will do that."_

_"Please…" Peter was frustrated. "I can't think of anything."_

_"You don't _need _to, Peter," the masculine voice said, breaking into his frustration before it could even begin to morph into panic. "Let Tony come up with something. He's thinking about it, right now, even."_

_The new voice drove the mobster's image away, and but there was no vision with that voice. No face to put with the words. Strangely, it didn't concern the boy._

_"And worrying?"_

_"No. Trying to find the best way to make you happy."_

_"I _am _happy."_

_"To _keep _you happy, then."_

_"I never get to stay happy. Something will happen."_

_Something always _did_._

_"We'll see."_

_"I need to find Tony."_

_"You know where he is. Let's go."_

OOOOOOO

_"Peter's heading this way…"_

They were almost expecting the announcement, really. Before the boy had slid into their bedroom – and then their bed – Tony had sat up and Pepper had pulled the blankets back. In the faint illumination coming from the bathroom nightlight, Tony could see that he had Nutmeg tucked under one arm, but the boy settled between them, easily, and the kitten didn't seem to mind the change of location.

"Peter?" Pepper asked, softly. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

"I don't need anything," he replied, handing her the kitten, who was purring, loudly.

"What's Pi?" Tony asked.

"Forty-two."

Tony smiled.

"He's _sleepwalking_."

"Should we send him back to bed?" Pepper asked, looking down at the kitten, who was purring and kneading her thigh. "So he doesn't know?"

"Nah. I'm not surprised he's here, and _he_ won't be, either, when he wakes up. He had a rough day. Needs mommy's touch."

Pepper smiled, and handed the kitten to Tony so she could gather Peter into her arms.

"He's probably still worried that I'm mad at him. I didn't handle that very well."

"You're not mad?" Peter mumbled, half listening to the conversation as he nestled into her side.

"No, sweetheart. I'm not. Go to sleep."

"You're doing _great_, Pep," Tony assured her. She'd just given him a prime reminder of how very good she was with him. "It was sudden, is all, and you were worried."

"What are we going to do about the mobster?"

"Well, I've been thinking about it. Peter doesn't really _need_ anything, so there's nothing for him to _ask_ for."

"Right." She smirked, watching Tony caress the kitten, who was tucked under his chin. "If he needs anything, you rush to get it – which is why he doesn't ask for anything, I imagine."

"He needs a hobby," Tony agreed. "Something that costs a lot. Like polo, or yachting."

"He's allergic to horse," she reminded him. "And not the best swimmer. Do you _really_ want him in the ocean?"

"No. I suppose not."

"So, have you come up with a solution?" she asked, curiously, sifting her fingers through Peter's hair, watching as he fell asleep beside her, even though – technically – he wasn't awake in the first place.

"I have a thought, but I want to run it by Natasha, first. She knows these guys better than anyone."

"Care to share?"

"With _you_? Yes. With _Nutmeg_, here? No. His ears are too impressionable for that conversation and I don't want to spoil the surprise. We'll discuss it in the morning, if that's alright.""

Which told her that he didn't want to mention it in front of Peter. Sleepwalking, or not. Just because he didn't usually remember what happened while he was up and about – and she never had, either – it didn't mean there wasn't a first time for it.

"I can wait."

He winked at her, and then looked at the kitten, and then at the boy.

"Want to trade?"

"Nope."

"Damn."


	140. Chapter 140

When Peter woke, he knew immediately that he wasn't in his own bed. A quick glance – done without even raising his head from the pillow told him that he was in Tony and Pepper's room (and bed) and also told him that he was alone. He frowned, trying to remember coming into their room, but the last thing that he remembered was telling Nutmeg goodnight (and did he _kiss_ him?) and then turning off the light.

He stretched and sighed, but honestly, he wasn't _that_ surprised that he was there. When he was worried – usually about _them_ worrying about _him_ – he tended to end up in their bed for comfort. He shook his head; because when he was afraid – whether he knew it or not – he would end up with Natasha in _her_ bed, more often than not. Good thing for him they were all used to it, by now.

No one was with him, so it must not have been that serious. Maybe he hadn't even done anything too crazy. _Hopefully_. If he _had_, Peter was fairly certain that Pepper would be with him, at least. If had been _really_ bad, they _both_ would be. With Stephen, even if it had had been him trying to do something dangerous and hurting himself.

He rolled out of the bed, untangling himself from the blankets, and double-checked to make sure that he was dressed before heading for the door. And frowned when he saw Tony was on the floor, reaching under the sofa. Nutmeg was crouched on the coffee table, watching him.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked, curiously.

Tony looked up at him, but then turned his attention back to the sofa. Which was another indication to Peter that he hadn't done anything to crazy. He didn't get asked immediately how he was feeling.

"Trying to find my glasses."

"Under the _couch_?"

"Ask your cat what he did with them, then."

"What makes you think _he's_ responsible?"

Tony looked back up at him, and then at the kitten, and at Peter, again.

"When we came out of our room this morning, _everything_ was on the floor. Pepper's bag was ransacked; everything was scattered. My papers, my mini tool kit – pretty much anything that isn't bolted down or too heavy. And my glasses are missing. We found most of it – and then repeated the process in the bathroom. Nutmeg is a _very_ bad kitten."

Peter walked over and picked up the end of the couch, helpfully.

"Are they there?"

"Yup." Stark grabbed them and moved, getting up. "Thanks, son."

"You're welcome."

"How do you feel?"

"I'm okay. What time did I come in here, last night?"

"About three o'clock."

"Did I do anything crazy?"

"You crawled into bed, handed Pepper the cat and told me you don't need anything." He shrugged. "No mystery what happened, hey?"

"Yeah."

"How's the arm?"

"Just sore. Nothing too bad. Did Pepper go to work?"

"She _did_. Which left me kitten-sitting when I obviously had better things to do – like go check on my _pig_."

Peter smiled at that and reached down and scooped the kitten into his arm, burying his face against the fuzzy one. The kitten reached his paw up, pressing it against his nose – whether to say hello, or to warn him away, it didn't matter, really. Peter looked at Tony.

"What do I ask Mr. King for to make this stop?"

"Nothing, Peter," his father told him. "I don't want you to go anywhere near him, to be perfectly honest about it. Chances are, he'll want to see you, and maybe that'll happen – for a _moment_ – but I'm going to have a talk with him, later – _with_ Natasha. I'm more concerned that he knows your other identity."

"He said he wouldn't tell anyone."

"He's a _mobster_, Peter. How good is his word?"

The boy shrugged.

"If he's this worried about honor, it must be worth something."

"Yeah, _maybe_. We'll see what he says – and what Nat thinks of it. She's got a better read on these guys than I do."

"Okay."

"Why don't you go get changed, and come meet me in the lounge? I ate breakfast with Pepper before she left, but I'd keep you company while you eat."

"Alright. You're going to go check on Ironpig?"

"I am."

OOOOOO

When Peter arrived in the lounge, it wasn't Tony who was sitting at the table waiting for him. Stephen Strange was. The sorcerer was reading the paper and enjoying a cup of coffee and watched as Peter (with Nutmeg under an arm) walked into the room, walked over to the bar and spoke with the bartender for a moment before coming over to join him.

"Good morning," Stephen said when the boy sat down. "How do you feel?"

"I'm okay," Peter told him. "Just woke up."

"In Tony's bed, from what I hear?"

"Yeah."

"Did you have a bad dream? Panic attack?"

Peter wondered if Tony had asked Stephen to check on his mental well-being more than his physical, but decided that the doctor was asking for his own information as a stack of bandages, tape and scissors appeared on the table.

"Not that I know of," Peter said, moving to a closer chair when Strange gestured for him to do so. "I think I dreamed about the fact that Mr. King keeps asking me what I want – and that Nutmeg was talking to me."

The sorcerer raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

The boy rolled his eyes, amused at himself.

"It was a _dream_, Stephen." He looked at the kitten, who was cuddled against his chest, comfortably. Probably worn out from terrorizing Tony and Pepper's personal items. "And I could be remembering wrong."

"Unless he starts chatting you up this morning, somehow, I'm not going to be too worried about it."

Dreams were funny, that way.

He rolled up the boy's sleeve and bared the bandage that he'd put on the arm the day before. The scissors cleared the bandage from the stitched wound just as Tony walked in with Natasha by his side. The two immediately walked over, and Peter looked up in time to have Romanoff pluck the kitten from his arms and coo him, while the doctor examined the stitches.

"How does it look, Stephen?" Tony asked, looking as well.

"Looks clean," Strange replied. "No redness. No suppuration. How much does it hurt, Peter?"

"A three."

"That's good, right?" Tony asked.

"Considering he was shot, yesterday?" Strange asked. "Yes. I can live with that. We'll put a new bandage on it and give it a couple of days to settle. The stitches can come out in a week."

"And you'll do it?"

"Of course, Tony." They watched as put the new bandages on, and then taped them down, expertly. "That'll do it."

"Thanks, Stephen," Peter said, pleased that his wound was going to be one less thing for Tony and Pepper to worry about.

"You're welcome. I'll send your dad the bill."

"Is that my coffee you're drinking?" Stark asked, pointedly.

"It's not a barter system, Tony."

The billionaire chuckled, and sat down.

"Go call your mom and let her know that a) you're awake and fine. B) Stephen has checked your arm and pronounced you fit. And c) we will both be waiting for her when she gets home this evening."

"I'd advise you avoid mentioning your conversation with Nutmeg," Strange added, as Peter stood up.

"Yeah."

He looked at Natasha, and the kitten in her arms, and she shook her head, holding him, possessively.

"I just _got_ him."

The boy shrugged, amused, and left without the kitten, and Natasha cooed Nutmeg, running her finger along the fuzzy fur between his ears.

"His conversation with Nutmeg?" Tony echoed. "Do I even want to know?"

"He dreamed they were conversing, from what I gather. He's taking painkillers; I wouldn't be too concerned."

"Yeah."

Tony wasn't, really.

"What are you two up to?" Strange asked.

Natasha shrugged.

"We're waiting for the doctors to finish with King."

"How is he?"

If it had been Peter in the medlab, that would have been the magician's first stop. King was not a priority – as long as he was behaving – so he hadn't even checked in.

"No infection and he slept through the night, as near as they can tell. His buddy was up – watching him, I guess, to make sure we didn't do anything underhanded to them – but they're both going to have breakfast, and then we'll see what they say about allowing him to be moved."

"If they do, it'll have to be in an ambulance, or something similar," Strange told them, knowledgably. "He'd risk reopening his wounds if they tried allowing him upright. If he were my patient, I wouldn't allow him out of here for a couple of days, at least – even in an ambulance."

Stark scowled.

"Not exactly what I wanted to hear, Stephen."

"It isn't my job to make you happy, Tony," Strange reminded him with a smirk.


	141. Chapter 141

King and Zihov were finishing their breakfast when there was a light knock at the door and Tony and Natasha walked in a moment later. Both men tensed – it was a habit, really, to be constantly on their guard – and not a bad idea when dealing with Natasha Romanoff. The billionaire was wearing jeans, with a t-shirt while Romanoff was in her usual Avenger work uniform. Neither trying to impress, because they didn't need to.

"Good morning," Tony said. He was host, after all, even if he didn't want to be. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," King admitted. It would have been difficult to hide it, after all. "Your doctors tell me there isn't any sign of infection, however, so I can live with sore."

"Good. You're being treated alright?"

"Yes."

Tony looked at Zihov, who nodded.

"Yes. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He turned his attention back to the head mobster. "We need to get this honor thing settled, Mr. King. It's hanging over the compound and has everyone on edge – which isn't really the state of mind I want my people in, to be honest."

"I can understand that," King agreed. "Your son told me – more than once, now – that he doesn't want a reward for saving me and my wife. I can understand why he doesn't need anything – or money – but the fact remains that I _owe_ him. If he can't think of a reward, maybe _you_ can?"

"You do understand that he didn't know who you were when he saved you?" Tony pointed out. "If you'd been a homeless couple without a penny to your name, he still would have done what he did?"

"I do, _now_," King conceded. "However, I'm _not_ a homeless man without money. And whether you believe it or not, I love my wife very much, and the fact that Peter saved her means more to me than the fact that he saved me."

"I believe that," Tony assured him. "He doesn't need anything materialistic from you. In case you haven't figured it out, he's ridiculously low key and non- avaricious – which makes it hard for _me_ to shop for him, much less for _you_ to be able to come up with something."

"So how do we solve this?" Alex asked.

"I'm going to make two demands," Tony said. "As proxy for Peter, since he wouldn't ask for either. I'm his father, after all – it's my right."

King gave him a look that made it clear that he wasn't sure that agreed, but he didn't argue. He wanted the solution, too, of course.

"What do you have in mind?"

"You don't tell anyone who he is."

The mobster frowned.

"I wasn't planning on it, anyway."

"But this way I have your word."

"You'd believe my word?"

"I would."

The expression on King's face was as unreadable and Tony's.

"The other?"

"What Peter does is _dangerous_. He has some talent – _obviously_ – and we've done everything that we can to make it as safe as possible without telling him he has to stop. Which we can't do. But there's a risk involved."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"I want you to do whatever you can to keep him safe if he ends up someplace that I can't do it, myself."

"What?"

Tony smiled at the surprise in the other man's face.

"I don't know what you know about Spiderman," he said. "But he isn't a high profile crimefighter."

"Yes, I've noticed."

"Which means that if he hadn't saved you and your wife, then you probably never would have crossed paths with him. His activities can't be harming your own… ventures. Am I right?"

"You _are_. He's taking out little guys that are way below my radar."

"Then, say one of your guys happens on a scene where Peter – as his alter ego – is in a bit of a bind; maybe three on one or something. I want you to spread the word to keep him safe."

"You want us to help him?"

"I want you to do whatever you need to do to keep my son – who saved your life – from getting hurt while he tries to make the city a better place for the people living in it. How you do that is completely up to you. But that would solve the honor issue, because I imagine that it's asking a lot from you."

"Yeah it's asking a lot from me." King scowled, but really, the idea was growing on him, and Natasha and Tony could both see it in his expression. "Fine. His identity remains a secret, and I'll protect him."

"Without him knowing," Tony added. "You and I never had this conversation…"

The mobster snorted, amused.

"Right."

"We have one more problem, though," Romanoff said, speaking up for the first time.

"What problem is that?" King asked, curiously.

The assassin looked at Zihov.

"You know who Peter is, too. What do we do to keep you from telling someone?"

Alex didn't flinch. To his credit, he didn't even pale, even though he definitely felt a moment of concern that Romanoff was thinking of permanent ways to keep him silent. He forced a smile.

"You give me something of equal value, of course."

"Like what?" Tony asked, curiously.

He was a billionaire. If it kept the man quiet, he could have anything he wanted.

"My sister has a son. A special needs kid, who lives in Queens and just so happens to be a huge fan of Spiderman – he even wrote him a letter and mailed it off. If my nephew met Spiderman – maybe had a day with him and a picture with him – well, that would be priceless. And certainly worth my silence."

"Yeah?" Tony knew what Peter would say to that, so there wasn't any reason for him to go ask the boy if he would agree. He'd have done it for nothing, really. "What is your nephew doing this weekend?"

"Spending time with Spiderman?"

"I think that could be arranged. Maybe a sudden, chance meeting in a park or something…"

"Sounds perfect."

"Natasha will set that up with you," Tony said, looking at her to see if she minded.

She nodded.

"I'll take care of it."

"Good. Thanks." He looked at the mobster. "The doctors say you're not healthy enough to be moved, today. It looks like you're going to be stuck here at least another day or two – depending on them."

"Yeah, they told me the same thing."

"Your wife must be worried about you. We're willing to allow her – and _only_ her – to come out and check on you. To reassure herself that we're taking good care of you."

He looked surprised by the offer, but he nodded.

"I'd appreciate that. Alex can go get her."

"She doesn't bring any weapons."

"Fair."

"Alright then. We have a deal?"

The mobster nodded, and offered Tony his hand.

"We do."

Tony left, and Romanoff frowned ar Alex.

"Your nephew sent Spiderman a letter?"

"Yeah."

"Through the mail?"

He nodded.

"Put a stamp on it and dropped it in the mailbox himself."

"Huh."

OOOOOO

It was an hour or so later when Natasha went looking for Peter. She found him in the lounge, sprawled on one of the sofas with his kitten asleep on his chest, reading a book.

"Why aren't you hanging out with Tony?" she asked, scooping Nutmeg up into her arms to cuddle the kitten against her cheek. He was a pretty endearing fellow, after all. "He said he was going to work in his workroom today."

"He is," Peter said. "But he's in a conference call with Shuri, talking about the suit that she's building me and she sent me packing."

Natasha smiled.

"Why?"

He shrugged.

"Wants to surprise me, I guess. What are you doing?"

"I thought I'd go for a drive into the city. Want to come?"

He nodded, not even asking what she was going to do, and sat up.

"Of course. Let me see if I can find someone to watch Nutmeg."

"Clint can. He's not doing anything." She rubbed the kitten's head. "You go tell Tony where you're going – and that we'll be back before Pepper gets home – and I'll go tell Clint he's kittin-sittin', and I'll meet you at my car in fifteen minutes."

"Okay."

"I'll even buy you lunch."

Peter made an ooooing noise that made the assassin take a swipe at him with a chuckle. He dodged and headed for the door to go find Tony.


	142. Chapter 142

_A/N: Sorry for the silence today; it was my birthday and I was pulled from my bed bright and early to spend time with family members. Hope everyone had as good of a day as I did!_

OOOOOO

He was in the garage standing beside her Corvette when she walked in. The car was unlocked, but he didn't think it would be polite to just hop on in without asking – although he knew she would have rolled her eyes at him if he'd said anything like that.

"What are you going to be doing in the city?" he asked, curiously, as they got into the car and buckled up. "Secret _Avenger_ stuff?"

She shook her head.

"_Avenger_ stuff, yes. Not so secret. I want to check out a rumor, and you might be interested. Besides, I like your company."

Peter smiled at that.

"What kind of rumor?"

"It's a surprise."

"You said it isn't a _secret_."

"It isn't, Peter. It's a _surprise_. Completely different."

He rolled his eyes, then, not bothering to point out that they could be the same thing, in some instances.

"Have you seen Mr. King?" he asked her, as she pulled the car out onto the road.

Natasha tended to drive faster than Tony or Pepper – or _Peter_, of course. Mainly because she was extremely confident of her abilities and didn't feel it was endangering her or her passengers. On the highway she'd slow down – to avoid a ticket, more than anything – but on the service road, she might as well have _Andretti_ stamped on her license plate.

"Tony and I checked in on him earlier this morning," she told the boy. "He's as comfortable as can be – considering – but will probably be at the compound a few more days, according to Stephen and the doctors."

"Oh."

"I don't need to tell you not to go talk to him?"

Peter shook his head, annoyed, but not because she (and Tony and Pepper) didn't want him near the guy. He was annoyed because of the honor thing and his lack of a solution for it.

"No," he said, sincerely. "I don't really _want_ to talk to him. All he keeps saying is that I have to think of something I want, and I don't know what to ask for."

"That's been taken care of," Romanoff assured him. "We're not worried about that. But he _is_ a mobster, and I know Tony would prefer you not have any more exposure to that element than necessary. _I_ certainly don't want you to."

"Taken care of how?" Peter asked, curiously.

"That _is_ a secret," she told him, smiling when he frowned, almost automatically. "We cashed them in, though. A favor for a favor."

"Come on, Natasha…" he said. "You can tell me."

"It's nothing too amazing," Romanoff said. "Maybe we'll let you know, later. But part of it is that he isn't going to tell anyone you're Spiderman. Which was our biggest concern, obviously."

"Yeah. Mine, too."

"What do you have planned for Saturday morning?" she asked him, changing the subject, as they turned onto the highway with a roar of engine and a spray of gravel – before she settled the car to only five miles over the speed limit.

"This Saturday?"

"Yes."

"Nothing. I'm hoping MJ calls and maybe we can try the date thing, again, but I haven't heard from her, yet. Why?"

"Because I need Spiderman to make a surprise visit to a little boy that is apparently a huge fan and would very excited to spend some time with him."

"Who is he?"

"Just the son of someone I know…" she said, mysteriously. "I promised him Spiderman in the park for at least as long as it takes to do a meet and greet."

"Are you _pimping_ me out?" Peter asked, amused by the secrecy.

She looked over at him, feigning shock – although her eyes were light with amusement.

"_Peter Parker_, tell me you don't know what that word means."

"I'm _sixteen_," he reminded her. "I know what a pimp is, Natasha."

"Well, in that case… _maybe_. A _little_. And just this one time. He's a special needs boy, so he might be a little over-excited to see you. But he's a huge fan, and it'd be a big favor."

"Yeah. You know I'd do anything for you."

She smiled at that, because she did know.

"The feeling is completely mutual, baby," she reminded him. "We'll set that up, then. Just don't make any plans for the morning, alright?"

"Alright."

"So what's going on with MJ?"

Peter shrugged.

"I think Mr. King freaked her out when he stopped us in the park. She's acting weird on the phone and wouldn't talk to me. She said she'd call me back."

"Did she?"

"Not, yet."

"It hasn't been that long, baby. I'm sure she'll call you. She probably just needs a chance to get over her fright."

"She'll probably call and tell me she doesn't want to see me, anymore," Peter said, gloomily. "Hanging out with me is dangerous."

"That's true," Natasha agreed, reaching over and palming his cheek, while still watching the road. "That's one of the reasons we need to protect your identity so carefully. You're already a tempting target as Peter Parker, heir to the Stark Industries billions. People want to grab you now for money, right?"

"Yeah."

"If they knew who you were, alternatively, others might want to _hurt_ you – to keep you from being a pest, or from screwing up their illegal machinations."

"I know… It's why you guys taught me to fight."

"One of the reasons," she agreed. "Let me ask you something, though…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you regret your choices to be either?"

"No." Peter's answer was instant. "I'm a walking target – and I cause a lot of worry and trouble – but I wouldn't stop being Spiderman for anything, and I'd never in a million years give up being with Tony and Pepper. Or the rest of you guys, for that matter."

That made her smile. It was the answer that she hoped for, of course.

"Obviously not for the glory of it all."

"No." he looked out the window and was quiet for a moment. "The _company_ is good, though."

Romanoff chuckled.

"We agree. Give MJ a chance to get over her nerves – if that's what it is. And it probably is. It's tough knowing a superhero and being constantly worried about them."

"I'm not a superhero, though," Peter pointed out. "Spiderman is pretty low key."

"Doesn't mean you're not a superhero," she told him. "Just ask Brandon Lutzenjow."

Peter frowned.

"Who?"

"The little boy you're going to make the happiest kid in the world Saturday morning," she explained. "You'll see."

He smiled at that, because he was actually looking forward to it.

"Okay."

"Feeling better?"

"I always feel better with you. You know that."

"You're spending too much time with Tony," she accused him with a chuckle as she squeezed his hand before letting it go so she could focus on the road and the traffic around them – always looking for a potential threat. "You're becoming a smooth talking charmer."

"Think so?" he asked her, pleased at the implied compliment.

"I _know_, so."

OOOOOOO

"What are we doing here?" Peter asked, somewhat later as they pulled up into a space at the main branch of the post office.

He somewhat expected her to be making a run to her knife guy, or maybe to talk to someone. The post office wouldn't have been a guess he'd ever have made.

"Need to check my sources," she told him, winking mysteriously. "Stay out here, alright? I'll be right back."

"Okay."

He watched her walked around the corner of the building – presumably toward the entrance, and then pulled out his phone and took a selfie, which he then sent to Tony, Pepper and Ned.

His three replies were immediate, and he was engaged in text messages for the next fifteen minutes, not even noticing when Natasha returned until he heard her opening the trunk of the car and looked into the rearview side mirror just in time to see her toss a little bag into it. He told Ned he'd talk to him later and put his cell away and watched as Natasha returned to her spot behind the wheel.

"You good?" she asked, looking over at him as she buckled up.

"Yeah. What was that?"

The assassin smiled, looking pleased and pretty cheerful.

"I'll show you when we get back. What do you want for lunch?"

"Burgers."

They were already backing out of the space, so it wasn't going to do him any good to pester her about the bag, he knew. Besides, he was hungry enough to allow her to have her little secret.

For now, anyway.


	143. Chapter 143

Peter was somewhat surprised that Tony was waiting for them in the garage when they pulled into the compound. Leaning against Peter's Pontiac, he smiled when the car stopped to let the boy know nothing was going on or anything and opened Natasha's door for her just like he would for Pepper.

"How was the drive?"

"Smooth." She looked over at Peter, who was getting out of the car. "Will you bring the bag and meet me in the lounge?"

"Yeah."

The trunk popped and he went to the back of the car, while Natasha walked with Tony.

"Don't make any plans with him for Saturday morning."

"He agreed to meet the kid?"

She smiled.

"He asked me if I was _pimping_ him out."

Tony chuckled.

"If he becomes _famous_, we could…"

"Pepper probably wouldn't approve."

"She might. I'd come up with a business model; show her how we could make a killing on Peter being Spiderman and all. It'd probably appeal to her business acumen."

"Or, it could be the shortest marriage, ever."

The billionaire rolled his eyes.

"Fine, we can't pimp out Spiderman."

"Please tell me I didn't just hear you mention pimping out Spiderman," Clint said, coming around the corner on his way to the lounge at just the right time to hear the comment.

The kitten he was holding looked almost as scandalized as the archer did – although it could have been a reaction to being toted around all day by someone new.

"As a one time only thing," Romanoff told him with a wink as she reached over and took Nutmeg from him, explaining the deal that had been made with the mobsters – in case he hadn't already been told – as they found a seat at the table in the corner.

Peter walked in, then, carrying the bag that had been in the back of her car.

"It's _heavy_," he told her, setting it on the table. "What's in it?"

Natasha smiled and gestured to the bag.

"Open it and see."

He did what she said, undoing the flap and the knot that held it closed, and peeked into the bag.

"They're letters?"

"Yes."

"To you?"

"Nope. Those are for _you_, Spiderman."

"What?"

Natasha smiled at his confusion.

"Did you ever see Miracle on 34th Street?"

"The remake? Or the original?"

She hesitated.

"The one that mentioned the post office keeps all the letters to Santa Clause that little kids send every year."

"Yeah. They both mention it."

"Well, it turns out the post office has been keeping letters that they get addressed to Spiderman, as well."

"What?"

"It's _true_," Tony said, reaching to take Nutmeg from Natasha, only to have her turn her body sideways to avoid the grab. "We found out this morning. If someone writes a letter to Spiderman, and it gets dropped into the post, the post office files it in a special department. Just like letters to Santa or the Easter bunny."

"Apparently, since Spiderman is a real entity, they can't legally destroy a letter to him. So they've just been holding on to them."

Peter looked surprised. He glanced back into the bag.

"There are _boxes_ in here, too."

"I saw," Natasha agreed. "You should open some. See what they say."

"Are you _sure_?" he asked. "It could be private."

"They're addressed to _you_," Tony pointed out. "Who _else_ would open them?"

He reached in and pulled out a card, with a bright red envelope. Looking at them, he opened it and they all could see that it was hand-made with pink construction paper and drawings of stick figures. Peter opened it, and the adults watching saw his expression soften.

"_Dear Spiderman. Thank you for keeping my dog from being hit by the car. He is my favorite. John S."_

Natasha smiled.

"You're a _hero_, baby."

"It was a _dog_," he objected, but he smiled as he put it back in the envelope. "That's amazing…"

"_You're_ amazing," Tony told him, sincerely. "We probably don't tell you that often enough. But now you can read the letters and hear it from other people, too. People who you've had an effect on. Even when it's something small like saving a dog."

"Pull another one, Peter," Clint suggested.

The boy did as he was told, and this one was a bit more formal, and clearly from an adult.

"_I don't know where to send this, but I'm sure the post office has something set up with you," _Peter read_. "My name is Antonio Sanchez and you stopped a mugging last night and saved my mother from being injured – and who knows what _else_? I can't thank you enough. Please find the enclosed $100 and use it to buy yourself something frivolous. It isn't a _reward_ for being good – it's a thank you from one son to another – because your parents must be very proud of you for being as amazing as you are…"_

He trailed off, tears burning his eyes and unable to read the rest, and Tony stood up and hugged him, pulling the boy into his arms and holding him.

"They _are_," he murmured to Peter, who tucked his face against Tony's collarbone and held him, tightly, even though the tears that threatened weren't accompanied by sobs. Just the memory of May telling him that she knew he was Spiderman and that she was proud of him. "We _all_ are, Peter. Never think for a minute that we don't love you."

Clint glanced over at Natasha, who was looking for something to wipe her eyes with, and had to settle for using Nutmeg's furry little body to blot her eyes.

"I don't," he finally said, pulling away and using his forearm to wipe his eyes. He pulled a hundred dollar bill from the envelope and shook his head. "What should I do with this?"

"Buy yourself something frivolous," Clint said. "Or… you could buy me a new bow string. And a new batch of arrowheads."

"Why would he do _that_?" Natasha asked, curiously.

"Because his demon of a kitten got into my armory when I wasn't watching and I've been looking for arrowheads all afternoon."

"Maybe you misplaced them?" she suggested.

"Maybe I caught him carrying one off. What I _should_ have done was follow him, instead of stopping him. They're probably all in one spot. Along with my missing replacement strings."

"Nutmeg wouldn't do something like that," Tony told the archer. "It's probably a family of mice, or something. Wait until he's older and then he'll take care of them for you."

_"A family of_…" Clint shook his head, amused, and looked at Peter. "You should use your hundred bucks and buy a new Lego set."

Peter smiled and shook his head.

"I have a better idea," he said. "I'm going to take everyone out to dinner tonight. Someplace super fancy."

"A hundred dollars isn't going to feed everyone," Tony pointed out. "But whatever it doesn't cover, _I_ will."

"I have more than that," the boy pointed out. "I still have the money Natasha gave me for the polls that she won in Wakanda. What I didn't spend on goats. That's like four hundred dollars."

"Which you should _save_," Tony told him.

"For _what_?"

"Something you _want_."

"I want to take everyone to dinner."

Clint grinned.

"Don't listen to him, Peter. I accept. Nat?"

"Yes. I accept, too."

"Call Stephen," Peter said. "He's invited. Wong, too."

They all looked at Tony, waiting to see if he was going to argue. He made a face and shrugged.

"I'll make a reservation. Where do you want to eat?"

"Wherever everyone else does," Peter told him. "Maybe Pepper's favorite place, or something."

"Okay. I'll take care of it."

Peter grinned, excited.

"Thanks."

"What about the rest of your letters?" Clint asked. "You've only read two. There have to be at least a hundred."

"I'll open them later," Peter said. "Maybe if Ned comes this weekend, he can help me read them."

His friend would love doing something like that, Peter knew.

"Sounds like a great idea," Tony approved. "Call him and invite him out."

"We can pick him up on Saturday," Natasha suggested. "After you meet your biggest little fan."

"Okay."


	144. Chapter 144

"Aren't you worried that there might be bombs or something?" Ned asked.

Peter heard Shuri chuckle and he shook his head.

"The post office scans for that kind of thing, Ned," he pointed out. "It's not like the movies."

"Why would anyone want to bomb _Peter_?" Shuri asked, curiously. "He's too cute to want to kill."

Ned rolled his eyes, his image on both of their screens clearly showing what he thought of the compliment.

"He wears a _mask_, Shuri," he reminded the princess. "They don't know he's cute. Only that he stopped them from robbing a convenience store. Besides; he's not _that_ cute."

"I think it is very exciting," Shuri said. "What have the other letters said?"

"I've only read _two_, so far," Peter admitted. "I'll save them if you want to read them – or I can have Karen or Friday scan them and send them to you so you can see them – just remember to keep it secure."

"We're going to read them this weekend," Ned told her, looking pleased at the prospect – or at being invited out to the compound. "I'll make sure to keep the good ones off to the side for you."

"Thank you."

"I need to go, guys," Peter told them. "We're going to dinner."

He dropped out of the conference call and Shuri looked at Ned.

"Where is MJ?" she asked. "Why is she not in the call, as well?"

He shrugged.

"She's freaked out, right now," he told her. "She doesn't like how much danger Peter puts himself in being Spiderman."

"Ah. The new suit I'm making him is going to take care of what little danger there still is."

"Will he be able to fly?" Ned asked, hopefully. "Like with jetpacks? Or rockets, or something?"

"No."

"Invisibility?"

She frowned.

"No. Has he mentioned _wanting_ to be invisible?"

"No. But it'd be cool, wouldn't it?"

"He _will_ be bullet-proof. As long as the suit is activated. That should alleviate some of her concerns."

"Probably."

"Besides, saving the world is a dangerous profession. She might as well get used to it."

Ned smiled at that, and shook his head.

"Whatever you do, don't say that to her, okay? You wouldn't be doing Peter any favors."

Shuri nodded.

"I will bear that in mind."

OOOOO

"This is a good idea, Peter," Pepper said, as they walked into the restaurant. "We haven't been out as a group in a long time."

"Brunch doesn't count," Tony added. "That's hardly fine dining."

"Who's watching Nutmeg?" Strange asked, curiously, offering Natasha his arm.

"Nick is," Peter said. "He didn't want to come."

"He's also watching Ironpig and Jack," Clint added with a smirk.

They were all dressed up. Suits and ties and dresses, and they'd even gotten Peter out of his jeans and into a suit. Tony had made the reservation for a private room to avoid a lot of fan interaction and the hostess was quick to get to them when the group walked in.

"Peter? Will you escort Pepper to the table?" he asked his son. "I need to stop and wash my hands."

"Sure." The boy grinned and offered Pepper his arm, and she took it with a slight smile. "We'll save you a spot."

"Thanks." Tony watched as the entire party walked away and turned to the maître d who was watching everything going on around him with quiet competence. "You saw the boy with us?"

"Yes, sir."

"He's buying dinner, tonight, and he's pretty proud of the fact. However, I checked his wallet and I know for a fact that he only has $374 on him. Do whatever you need to do to make sure that the check – when we get it – shows no more than that and leaves enough room for him to get the tip, as well, please."

"Absolutely, Mr. Stark."

"And see if you can keep him from knowing what we're doing, will you?"

The man gave him a knowing smile.

"It's not the first time we've arranged something like that. I'll take care of everything."

Tony smiled and handed the man a wad of bills.

"That'll take care of the difference – and keep whatever's left for the trouble."

"Thank you, sir."

He nodded, and went to join the party.

OOOOOOOO

"Did you have fun?"

Pepper smiled.

"I _did_, thank you. It was nice."

Peter thought so, too.

"Are you working, tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Can I ride into the city with you?"

Tony looked over from the conversation that he'd been having with Steve and Natasha.

"What are you going to be doing?" he asked, curiously.

"I thought I'd scope out the park," Peter said. "I'm going to be meeting that little kid, so if there's something to swing off, I can come in hot. Otherwise, I'll be _walking_ and that won't look quite as exciting."

"I thought Tony was the only showman in the family," Clint said, amused.

"I'm the most _experienced_," Stark told him. He looked at Peter. "Do you want company?"

"No. It's okay. I won't be there long – then maybe I'll go to Ned's, if that's alright?"

"Yeah. You know it is."

The boy wasn't a prisoner – although they liked to keep pretty close tabs on him, when they could. Just because of the nature of his relationship with them. They were learning to give him a little freedom, though, and in return for that, he was learning to let them know where he was going to be.

"Thanks."

"Should I pick you up at Ned's, then?" Pepper asked.

"No. I'll go to the safe house and come home from there."

Meaning that he'd use the teleportation stone.

"If that changes make sure you let someone know," Tony said.

"I will."

"And keep it off social media."

"I know."

Peter never posted on social media, though. Not anymore. It was just easier not to. Most of the people that he really wanted keeping track of him (like Ned, MJ or Shuri) were usually aware of where he was going or what he was doing – or he'd tell them, later. He didn't need to post anything. He knew Tony and Natasha both preferred it that way, and it was worth it to keep them from being worried, really.

But they always reminded him. It amused him, so he didn't even roll his eyes and pretend to be annoyed.

"If you find a certain place in the park that you think would work better for you, make sure you let me know," Natasha told him. "I'll make sure to have them have the boy there."

"Okay."

"You _should_ take Ned with you," Pepper said. "He has a eye for that kind of thing. And he'd love to be part of the planning, I imagine."

Peter grinned.

"In that case, can I have a ride to Ned's in the morning?"

"Yes."

They didn't stay too much longer at the restaurant, but the highlight was when the check was brought to the table. One check – without any of the servers asking – and it was set in front of Peter, who smiled and picked it up to look at it.

"It's in _French_," he said, frowning. He looked at Tony. "Is that normal?"

"Huh. Depends on the restaurant. Does it show a total in American dollars?"

"Yes."

"Do you have _enough_?"

The boy smiled.

"Yeah."

"Then who cares how much Pepper's chicken cost? Just pay the bill so we don't end up doing dishes."

Peter laughed and reached for his wallet.


	145. Chapter 145

"Tell me again why you're doing this?"

Peter shrugged.

"Because Natasha wants me to."

Which was good enough for Peter. Truthfully, it was good enough for _Ned_, also, because the other boy just nodded his agreement.

"You're just going to swing in and say hello? Take some photos? That kind of thing?"

"Yeah, I think so. I guess it depends on the kid. She said he was special needs. I don't know if that means that he's in a wheelchair or not, though. If he is, then I can't do too much, really, on the physical side of things. But I can still put on a show. Right?"

"Yeah." His friend looked around. "Is the mob guy still at the compound?"

"Yes. His wife came by, yesterday – I guess. I haven't seen him. Tony doesn't want me anywhere near him."

"I don't blame him. You should stay as far away from him as you can."

"I am."

They walked around that portion of the park and Ned noticed that there was a gazebo, which Peter could climb up the walls of, to maybe show off his skills It wasn't so high that it would scare anyone – even a little kid – and there was a light pole that he could swing over to from the roof..

It was as good a place as any. Peter took a few pictures of the area – and the gazebo – and sent them to Natasha, and then he and Ned found a hotdog guy and had an early lunch – more like brunch, really – and sat on the picnic table watching the other people in the park while they ate.

"The suit Shuri is making you sounds pretty amazing."

"It was amazing before she got Tony involved," Peter said, smiling. "But they've been conference calling and talking for the last couple of days, working together on it. It's going to be crazy."

"Will it still have Karen?"

"Yeah."

"Can I have your old suit?"

"What?" he looked over at his friend, who was grinning. "No. I'm pretty sure Tony wouldn't approve. Besides, what would you do with it?"

"I don't know. It's pretty cool, though."

"Yeah. I'll keep it where it is – just in case I need it for some reason."

You never knew, after all.

"What are you doing the rest of the day?" Ned asked, curiously.

"I thought I'd go visit May – maybe say hello to my folks. I haven't been by in a while, and that letter I got made me think of them."

"I bet. It sounds like the guy was really grateful."

Peter had brought both letters with him so that Ned could read them, of course, and he'd teared up when he'd read the one about Peter's folks being proud of him. His biological parents didn't know, of course, what their son was doing, now. _May_ had, and had been proud of him, and of course Tony and Pepper knew, and Peter was sure that even though they _worried_ about him, they were proud, too.

"Yeah."

"Can I come?"

"Sure."

Ned hadn't known Peter's parents, but he and May had been pretty close. As much time as the other boy had spent over at their place, hiding from his sisters, it wasn't a surprise. They walked to the park entrance and Ned pulled out his phone.

"Uber?"

Peter nodded, and they goofed around in an arcade while waiting for their ride. When it came, the driver honked to get their attention as he pulled up. Ned got into the front seat next to the driver, and Peter took the back.

"You guys are really going to a _cemetery_?" the driver asked, uncertainly, looking at his phone and the destination.

"Yeah," Ned told him. Well aware that Peter didn't care what he said to the driver, he shrugged. "It's a dare. We lost a bet."

"Huh. At least it isn't the middle of the night."

"We're not that crazy."

The driver turned on some music and made small talk with Ned on the drive, and let them out in front of the main entrance. Peter had been there often enough that they didn't need to go ask for directions to the stones they were looking for, and he led Ned unerringly to the markers that protected his parents' and May's final resting place.

Ned ran his hand along the cool marble of May's stone, while Peter crouched down between his mom and dad and thought about the video that they had made for him. He read them the letter, and told them about Wakanda.

"Tell them about the baby rhino," Ned told him, walking over. "They'll get a kick out of that, I bet."

Peter rolled his eyes and now his conversation was for all of them, as he mentioned that he _might_ have tried to steal a baby rhino from its mother while they'd been on safari.

"And Tony got a pig," Ned added, not at all unwilling to join the conversation.

"And I have a kitten, now," Peter mentioned – mostly to May. "His name is Nutmeg, and he's a little blonde and white guy I found in the rain outside the sanctum."

His parents knew all about the sanctum, and Stephen and Wong. Peter didn't have any secrets from them. He and Ned hung out with them, catching everyone up on what was going on with their summer, until it was pretty late in the day.

"I'd better get home," Ned finally said, looking at his watch. "Otherwise my mom's going to think I ran off to join the circus."

Peter nodded, saying a final goodbye to those who wouldn't be leaving with them.

"At least they don't threaten to sell you to a passing caravan, anymore."

"Probably because I know how to get myself back home, now. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." They headed for the entrance and this time it was Peter who called for the Uber. The safe house wasn't far from Ned's; he'd go to Ned's, say hi to his mom and whoever else was around and then head for the safe house – and home. "Thanks for coming with me."

"Yeah. Anytime, really. You know that."

He'd liked May.

Before Peter could say anything, his phone started playing Ironman to him, and Ned grinned, automatically. _Ironman_ was calling; it was hard not to be impressed.

Peter turned on the video feature, mostly for Ned.

"_Peter?"_

"Yeah. Hey."

"_You alright?"_

"Yeah. I'm with Ned."

"Hi, Mr. Stark!" Ned said, moving closer to be seen by the display.

"Hey, Ned."

"Is everything okay?" Peter asked.

"_Yes. It's getting late,"_ Tony explained. _"We haven't heard anything from you since Natasha received a few pictures, earlier. I just wanted to check on you."_

"We're waiting on our Uber, now. I'll ride with Ned to his place and be home shortly after that."

"_Alright."_ He smiled at the boy's image. "_I love you."_

"We love you, too, Mr. Stark," Ned assured him, making both of the others smile.

"_I'm going to make sure dinner Saturday night is liver, young man."_

"Gross."

Tony winked, and ended the call.

"You never should have told him about the liver and onions," Peter said, shaking his head with a smile. "He always threatens to have it, now."

"Does he like it?"

"No clue. He's never followed through with that particular threat."

Ned shook his head, but before he could respond, the Uber driver pulled up.

OOOOOO

An hour later, Peter was back at the compound in his quarters. He tucked the teleportation stone in his pocket, and after a brief conversation with Karen, he headed for the lounge. There he found Tony and Natasha, more or less waiting for him – since Friday had advised Stark when Peter had made his reappearance in his rooms.

Tony was cuddling Ironpig in one arm and manipulating his tablet with the other. Natasha had Nutmeg in her arms, but the kitten was squirmy, and she had her hands full. Both smiled when he walked over to the table, and Peter rescued the assassin from the 9 ounce kitten, taking him in his hands and sticking his face into the fuzzy belly.

"How's everything going?" he asked them before they could ask him.

"We're fine," Tony replied. "You?"

"I'm good."

"How's Ned?" Natasha asked, taking a drink of her cola now that her hands were free.

"He's good. You saw the spot we picked?"

"I did. I sent it on to the proper people. They will be ready Saturday morning at 10:30. Is that alright?"

"Yeah. Of course. Do I portal in? Or is someone going to drive me?"

"I'll drive you in," Tony said. "We'll go to the safehouse and you'll change, then you go to the park – where we will have a few people keeping an eye on things, from a distance."

"I'm not going to do anything dumb," Peter assured him. "It's a little kid, right?"

"It's not _you_ I'm worried about," Stark replied. "Natasha pointed out that even though the possibility is very, very small, there is always a chance that this could be a trap – and we want you to have backup if you need it."

He knew better than to argue, so he didn't bother. Instead, Peter nodded.

"All right."

"What did you guys do today?" Natasha asked.

"We went to visit May. Just to tell her about Wakanda – and I wanted to read my folks that letter."

Tony's expression softened, noticeably, as did Romanoff's.

"That's nice…" Tony said.

Peter smiled.

"Yeah." He didn't want them worrying about him. He wasn't upset or anything, after all. The day had been a good one, despite the location. It was the people he was with that always made the difference to Peter. "It was a good day."


	146. Chapter 146

"Now, if anything happens, don't be a hero – just get yourself out of danger and let everyone else deal with it."

"Including _you_?" Peter asked Tony, who was standing in the living room of the safehouse when the boy came out of the bathroom dressed in his suit, but not with the mask on, yet.

"Yeah. I think I'll go hover out of sight and sound – just in case."

"You don't _really_ think it's a trick, though, right?"

"No. I'm letting Natasha's suspicious nature infect me, this time. Preliminary reports are showing a dozen kids in the gazebo you chose. You don't bring kids to a mob hit – I don't care _how_ hard core you're supposed to be."

"I'll be fine."

"I know. Have fun, okay?"

"Yeah."

"I'll meet you back here when you're done."

Tony walked out of the apartment via the door, closing and locking it, securely, as he did. Then he headed for the elevator. Peter's method was a little quicker. He picked up the teleportation stone.

_Where?_

The gazebo had a lot of trees and little sheds in the area. Peter had seen them when he'd checked the place out with Ned. Aware that they were very well camouflaged, he had the stone take him behind one of them, and then tucked it into his pocket. He could have just dropped it on the ground; the thing would come to him when he needed it, but it didn't seem like the proper way to treat a magical relic.

Peter moved away from the shed, but stayed in the brush and used it for cover while he checked out the area. It was a birthday party, and like Tony had said, there were a lot of little kids. Mostly Lila Barton's age. The birthday boy was a lot smaller than the kids that he was running around with; probably underdeveloped, Peter thought as he watched, taking advantage of the excellent eyesight that he had – and that was improved on by the suit.

"Brandon, right?" he asked Karen, softly.

_"Yes. From the banner, I'd say he's just turned nine."_

"Yeah."

Peter hadn't missed the sign, either. He watched, waiting for an opportunity, and when the adults had called all the kids into the gazebo to come have cake, the boy made his move, catching an overhead lighting unit with one web and then swinging to catch a handy electric pole with the other. Someone made a noise – presumably the adults knew to expect him and weren't startled, and Spiderman suddenly swung into the area, coming to an impressive landing on the top of the roof of the gazebo, before leaning over and looking into the large, open area.

"I heard it was Brandon's birthday," he said, cheerfully. "And wanted to come say hi."

The kids started screaming, happily, which Peter had to admit was a little gratifying. None of them freaked out, even when he flipped himself gracefully off the roof and landed in a classic superhero stance. There was just a moment of hesitation and then suddenly a dozen little kids were running at him, all eager to hug him and say hello.

OOOOOOO

"_How does it look so far, Nat?"_

Romanoff smiled, stretching herself out even further on the blanket that she was on. She and Stephen were playing the role of simple picnickers, enjoying the summer day in the grassy area not too far from the gazebo. Where they had a very good view of things, and were close enough to be helpful if things went bad. She tapped her com, watching as Peter was standing upside down from a light pole, and had webbed the birthday boy and was now swinging him on the webbing. The boy was screaming with excitement – although his mother looked a little nervous.

"Looks good, Clint. Tony? Are you watching?"

"_Yeah."_ Ironman was in the air. Well above the others – although Clint had a pretty good view from a heavily leafed tree not too far away. He didn't need to be close by, since he not only had the sensors in his suit to help him see what was going on, but also was closely connected to Peter, through their AIs. _"Looks to me like he's in danger of enjoying himself."_

Even Stephen smiled at that.

OOOOO

Tony was in the kitchen of the safehouse when Peter arrived in the living room via the teleportation stone. He wasn't startled, since Peter had warned him he was coming to make sure that he wasn't in the living room. They didn't know what would happen if he teleported into the same space already occupied by someone – and they didn't want to experiment.

He smiled when he walked out of the kitchen and saw that Peter had a small container in his hand – holding two pieces of birthday cake.

"How did it go?" he asked, taking the cake while the boy pulled off his mask.

"It was good. I think. His name is Brandon and he just turned nine. He likes trucks, motorcycles and airplanes. He doesn't grow like the other kids and he has trouble with that, because he doesn't get hungry, so he has to be reminded to eat." Peter smiled. "He's a neat little guy."

"You had fun?"

"Yes. It's not something I'd want to do every day – so don't even _think_ about renting me out for birthday parties – but I enjoyed it. I think it made him happy _and_ I got us some _cake_ out of the deal."

Which made Tony smile, looking down at the container. _Chocolate_ cake, even – a personal favorite. Apparently Brandon had good taste.

"It sounds like it did. Go change, okay? We'll eat birthday cake and then go pick up Ned."

"Sounds good."

Peter vanished into the bathroom and Tony's phone rang. He smiled, bringing up the visual.

"Hey there, Mrs. Stark. What can I do for you?"

She smiled.

_"I'm just checking in on you guys. How's it going?"_

"He's finished. He's changing, now, then we'll go get Ned and we'll be back at the compound probably in time for a late lunch. Or you can go ahead and eat without us, and we'll stop and get a burger somewhere."

_"I'll wait for you guys. How did it go?"_

"He says he had a good time – and it looked like he _did_. I'll leave the details for him to share, over our meal. That way it's new to me, too. But, apparently we are not allowed to rent him out for birthday parties in the future."

_"Well, there goes out retirement plans, right out the window."_

Tony grinned.

"Good thing we have a few investments to fall back on."

_"Your mobster is going home this evening?"_

"Yes. We couldn't get him out any sooner, since his transport company had an emergency. And I'll remind you, _again_, that he isn't _my_ mobster."

She smiled.

_"Whatever. I'll see you guys when you get home."_


	147. Chapter 147

Ned was waiting for them when they pulled up in front of his building. He jumped into the back of the car, eager to hear everything about the morning, but Tony mentioned they wanted to let Pepper hear it all, too, so they were going to wait until they returned to the compound.

"We're going to have dinner when we get there," Tony told him, pulling back into traffic. "Are you good with that? Or do you need to stop somewhere?"

"No. I can wait. Thanks." He gave the man's reflection an excited smile. "Can you tell me about the new suit Shuri is making for Peter?"

Stark grinned.

"I _could_. But she wants it to be a surprise. So I _can't_."

"I won't listen," Peter promised, making Tony snort and Ned laugh.

"Why don't you tell me what your family thought of your wood carvings and rugs, instead?"

Ned rolled his eyes at the change of subject, but it was Tony Stark, after all. Even though he was far more familiar with him than most teenagers were. He didn't complain too much. They spent the drive talking about the trip to Wakanda and what else they'd seen, and Ned asked Tony how Ironpig was doing – which had led Peter to show his friend the new sweater Tony had gotten the piglet.

"You could have _made_ it, instead," Ned told him. "My mom crochets. She could have made it."

Peter frowned.

"Hasn't she been working on me a scarf for like three _years_, now?"

He shrugged.

"She says that you can't rush artistry."

"And yet, how many _Ironman_ suits have been developed, created and tested in that amount of time…?"

Ned grinned.

"Whatever, Peter. I'll buy you a scarf before winter, if she doesn't have it finished."

"I'm just sayin…"

Tony smiled, wishing that Pepper was in the car to hear the conversation.

OOOOOO

She was waiting for them when they pulled into the garage, though. Leaning against the Pontiac, holding Nutmeg in her hands, all three of the guys in the car thought she was pretty, but it was Tony who received the kiss when they got out of the car.

"How was the drive?"

"Great." He took the kitten from her, burying his face in Nutmeg's fur. "What did you do, today?"

"I spent time with _your_ pig, and _Steve's_ dog, and now Peter's cat. I feel like Old McDonald."

"I'll take him, mom," Peter offered, but Tony turned aside before the boy could reach for the kitten.

"I've got him. Go settle Ned and meet us in the lounge in fifteen minutes."

Before either boy could respond, he and Pepper left, with Nutmeg in hand, still. Ned shook his head.

"How much settling do they think I need?" he asked, as they walked out of the garage, too. "I throw my bag on your couch and I'm unpacked."

Peter shrugged.

"Let's go get that mail. We can start opening letters after we eat."

"Yeah. Good idea."

OOOOOOO

It was Saturday, so there weren't a lot of people around when they had dinner. Clint was home with his family and Steve had just left to go visit them, taking Jack. Natasha was still with Stephen in town, presumably, and Bruce was in the city working on a project that he'd been excited about for the last few days. Pepper and Tony were at the corner table, however, with Nutmeg still being fussed over by Tony.

"Where's Ironpig?" Ned asked, curiously.

"Steve just took him to Clint's," Pepper said, smiling at Peter when he sat down beside her. "They'll be back tomorrow, but Clint's kids wanted to meet him."

"She's going to want him," Peter told her. "Lila's a collector."

"She has a _pony_," Tony pointed out, waving to the serving staff to let them know they were ready to eat. "And Nick Furry. She doesn't need a pig, too."

"And she has Peter," Pepper added. "Wrapped around her cute little finger."

The boy blushed and rolled his eyes, but he didn't deny it.

"Tell us about your birthday party…" Ned said.

"Yes," Pepper agreed.

Peter nodded, but he waited until their dinner had been delivered to the table. Then he launched into a descriptive telling of the morning that he'd had, telling them first about the birthday boy, and then how all the kids had been excited that Spiderman was there at the park at such a convenient time. His face lit up telling them how he swung the little boy from his webbing, making him laugh and giving him a thrill with very little chance of anything happening.

"His mom asked if I wanted to stay for cake, but I said I had to go – so she sent me off with a couple of pieces in a container."

"Where is it?" Ned asked.

"We ate it before we came to get you," Tony admitted.

"It sounds like you had a very good time," Pepper said, smiling and reaching out to brush his hair back from his forehead, making a mental note to tell Tony to take him to get a haircut. "Are you _sure_ you don't want us to rent you out for birthday parties?"

"We'd let you keep 25% of anything we made," Stark added.

"It'd have to be at least 75%," Ned told them. "He's doing most of the work, after all."

"When did you become his agent?"

The teen shrugged.

"I'm his best friend. It's my job to look out for him."

"40%," Tony countered. "And we'll let you drive the Lambo."

"Deal."

Peter rolled his eyes.

OOOOOOOO

They were finishing dinner when Natasha walked into the room, looked over at them and headed their direction. She greeted Ned with a smile and leaned over to brush a kiss against Peter's cheek.

"I heard you did great, today, baby," she told him, sitting down between him and Ned.

"It was fun."

"Good. Did you bring me cake?"

"He and Tony ate it," Ned told her.

Romanoff frowned over at Stark, who shrugged, careful not to wake the kitten who was now sleeping in his grasp.

"It wasn't that great. We were doing you all a favor by eating it."

She turned to Peter.

"Was it good?"

"Yeah."

Tony rolled his eyes.

Before he could say anything, though, Romanoff's expression changed, and they could tell she was listening to a message in her communicator. Since hers was in her ear, even Peter couldn't hear what was being said, but she turned to Tony a moment later.

"King's getting ready to be transported."

"Good."

"He wants to talk to Peter before he goes."

The billionaire scowled at that, but it really wasn't unexpected.

"The mafia guy?" Ned asked, eyes wide.

"Yes."

"I don't want him anywhere near that man," Pepper said. "He got Peter shot. Again."

"He didn't shoot me," Peter pointed out. "He tried to protect me."

"Still…"

"If I talk to him, then I don't have to worry about him trying to come find me to talk to me, later."

"He wouldn't do that," Pepper disagreed. "He'd know better."

"I'd like some closure on this," Peter said, his jaw set, stubbornly. "Then I don't have to worry about him coming to look for me, later. If I talk to him, _here_, now, then Natasha or Tony would be with me and I won't have him jumping out of the bushes at me."

He was making his own very good arguments, so Tony kept his mouth shut and watched. He could tell Pepper wasn't pleased at the thought, but also knew that she could see the logic in what he was telling her. She looked over at her husband.

"You and Natasha, both. One on either side, looking as dangerous as possible."

"Can I come?" Ned asked, eagerly, almost standing up in his excitement at the thought of meeting a mobster.

She threw him a look that made him sit back down, immediately.

"Or… I could… you know. Watch Nutmeg, instead."


	148. Chapter 148

King was sitting up in his bed, talking to Alex, when Tony walked into the room. Both men watched as he walked over to the bed.

"I hear you're well enough to leave us," he said. "That's good news."

"I've taken advantage of your hospitality long enough," the mobster said. "I have to admit, though, I'm impressed by how well your people have treated me."

"You saved Peter," Tony pointed out. "We'll call it even."

"Wouldn't have needed saving if I hadn't brought such a trigger happy group with me," King said. "But I'll accept that and agree."

Stark looked at Zimhov.

"And _you_? Are we good?"

The information man smiled, and nodded.

"My nephew had a great morning, and Spiderman hung out a lot longer than I expected him to. Yeah. We're good, too."

"I asked for word to be passed that I'd like a chance to talk to your son," King said. "I don't suppose that's going to be _allowed_?"

"I heard." The two men were still very cautious with each other, and would never be acquaintances, much less friends. "He's outside. I was just making sure you didn't have any other company."

"Marie is at home getting my private nurse lined up and making sure I'll be comfortable."

Tony nodded and pressed a button on his watch. A moment later the door opened again and this time it was Peter and Natasha Romanoff who walked in. King sat up a little more in the bed, wincing at the motion and the boy moved over to stand by Tony, with Natasha pointedly coming up to stand on his other side.

"Hey, Mr. King. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Peter. You?"

The boy shrugged, his hand automatically going to the place on his upper arm.

"I'm okay. The stitches will come out in a day or two."

"I'm sorry you were injured."

"It's not that bad."

Tony's expression was frozen and unreadable, for the most part, but there was no denying that he absolutely thought that it was bad enough.

"I wanted a chance to see you before I went home," King said. "Since we probably won't see each other, again."

Alex had already advised him not to go near the boy, and of course the Avengers wouldn't want Peter near him.

"Oh."

"I wanted to thank you, again, for saving my wife – and for saving me."

"You're welcome." He hesitated. "I'd do it, again, just so you know. Despite all this craziness."

"Well, I appreciate that," he said, sincerely. "And thanks for not letting my car go under. I'd still be waiting for them to fish it out of the water if you hadn't stopped it from sinking."

The boy smiled at that.

"It's a pretty car. I couldn't stand the idea of losing it."

"I could give it to you," King offered. "A kind of a last minute reward type of thing."

Peter looked at Tony, who shrugged, understanding what he was asking.

"I already _have_ a car, sir," he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen a few times and then stepped up to the mobster's bed and showed him a picture of his car. "I can only drive one."

King whistled, appreciatively.

"Pontiac, huh. _Nice_." He looked at Tony. "16th birthday present?"

Stark nodded with a slight smile, but it wasn't a detail that they really needed the mafia man to know.

"Something like that."

"Well, anyway, Peter. We're good. Okay?"

"Yes, sir."

He offered the man his hand and King took it.

"I wish you all the luck in the world. But you be careful out there, understand?"

"I will. Thanks."

The boy left, and King turned his attention back to Tony.

"_We're_ not enemies, either. You understand that, right?"

"Yes."

The Avengers _weren't_ law enforcement. For that matter, _Peter_ actually did more crimefighting than Tony, Steve and Natasha combined. _They_ dealt with a much larger scale threat – even larger than the Russian mafia.

"Thank you for your hospitality. I'll stay away from him."

"Thank you."

Tony nodded to them both and left. He wanted to catch Peter in time to read some of the letters the boy and Natasha had brought back, and he knew that he and Ned were planning on doing that in the lounge after dinner. Natasha hesitated in the room a moment longer, waiting until Tony had left. Both men watched her, warily, certain that she had held back to talk to them without Stark present.

"We're not enemies," she repeated King's words to Tony. "But if anything happens to that boy, we _will_ be. You understand that, right?"

There was a time to bluster and act like a big shot, and there was a time to remind yourself that you were in a vulnerable position. And that didn't include that they were at the Avenger's compound and one was injured and worthless in a fight of any kind.

"We're not going anywhere near him," King assured her. "I said I wouldn't, and I won't."

"Just making sure that we're clear."

She nodded to both of them and left, too. She wanted to see what some of the letters said. Besides, Peter and Ned were always fun company.

King looked at Alex.

"You made the announcement?"

"Yeah. It's taken care of, Joel."

"Good. Make sure we enforce it. Come down hard on anyone who even _looks_ like they're thinking of dealing out of Queens with the petty crooks. I don't want any of our guys connected with anything going on there. No misunderstandings, either."

"I already started it."

"Thanks."

"Get some rest, Joel. The transporter should be here in an hour, or two."

OOOOOO

"_Dear Spiderman. How are you? I am fine. My teacher told us to write a letter to our favorite superhero and you are mine. My brother likes Batman. He is ten."_

Ned frowned, turning the card over and looking for more writing, but that was the end of the letter.

"I hope he didn't get a zero on that assignment," the boy said, shrugged and putting the letter back in the envelope that he'd pulled it from.

They were gathered around a couple of tables, which were pushed together. Peter and Ned had been joined by Tony, Pepper, Natasha and Stephen, and the bag of letters had been dumped onto the center of the table. There were a few boxes, as well, and they had been set aside for the moment. They'd made their way through about half of the letters, and some were pretty amusing.

Pepper smiled, looking at a pink one.

"_Dear Spiderman. I think you are cute. Signed, Sally."_

"Well, I think you are, too," Natasha said, watching Peter roll his eyes.

Strange snorted, his intense gaze on the red card in his hand.

"_Dear Spiderman. How do you swing like that? Are you really Tarzan but not in the jungle no more? My brother says Tarzan isn't real and that you are. I told him I'm not stupid and he hit me and I told my mom and he got in trouble and I got a piece of bread and butter with sugar on it and it was good but I dropped it halfway through and my mom said I had to throw it away but I gave it to my brother and didn't tell him I had dropped it and he ate it. My brother is the stupid one. Signed Jenny."_

"Missing some punctuation, much?" Tony asked, amused.

"Oh oh…" Ned pulled a card from the pile, and turned it over as he pulled the letter from the envelope. _"Dear Spiderman. I saw you swinging the other day. You looked incredibly agile and flexible. Someone like that would be a perfect match for me. I'm Shiela. I'm twenty-seven and a toga instructor. I'm a Capricorn and my preferred position is-"_

"Give me that," Pepper interrupted, snatching the card from Ned's hand before he realized what she was doing. The boy grinned, and everyone watched as her eyes skimmed the letter, her eyebrows going further and further into her hairline as she read. When she finished, she looked at Tony and reached for the envelope the letter had come in. "_No_."

"What did it say?" Peter asked, curiously. "Did she send a _picture_?"

Tony snorted.

"Maybe we should stop there, for a while," he suggested. Too much good stuff in one night, and all that."

"I think that's a great idea," Pepper said, pointedly not returning the card in her hand to the pile as they all started gathering letters to put back in the bag. "I'll take care of _this_ one."

Peter shook his head, looking at Ned.

"Did _you_ see what it said?" he asked, softly. "She wasn't talking about _yoga_ positions, was she?"

"Some of it." He glanced at Pepper, who was handing it to Tony. "I'll tell you later."


	149. Chapter 149

MJ called while Peter and Ned were playing video games. Peter was surprised, because it was pretty late, but he immediately allowed his character in the game to be killed. He set his controller to the side and picked up his phone and moved Nutmeg, before he got up from the couch. Ned rolled his eyes, and Peter shrugged before he shut his bedroom door behind him.

"Hey."

"_Hi. Ned's there?"_

He nodded, watching her image, trying to get an idea of how she was feeling. He wasn't very good at reading people, though – which meant it was a good thing that he had his spider-senses. But they didn't do much in this kind of situation.

"He came for the night," Peter told her. "We're just playing video games and messing around." He told her about the letters that Natasha had found out about, though. And mentioned he and the spy going into the city to pick them up from the post office. "So it was like Miracle on 34th Street," he told her. "After dinner, we spent a little while reading letters to Spiderman."

He didn't mention the mobsters that had been in the compound until just a few hours before, or the conversation that he'd had with King. He'd told Ned about it, so she might eventually hear something, but Peter didn't want to remind her how their _last_ try at a date had gone.

"_That must have been interesting."_

Peter smiled.

"Some of them are more interesting than the others," he said, giving her a brief synopsis of the Yoga instructor letter. "I didn't get a chance to read that one – Pepper took it away before _Ned_ could finish reading it."

That finally made her smile, too.

"_What else have you been doing?"_

"I had Spiderman visit a birthday party for this little kid, this morning," Peter said. "Natasha asked if I'd be willing to spend some time with this kid, so Ned and I found a good place for me to make a dramatic – but not too _scary_ – entrance and that's where they had the party. He's got this disorder that makes him grow slowly, or something, but he's a really nice little guy. I think he must be the son of some friends of Natasha's, and he's a huge Spiderman fan. So as a favor to her, I crashed his birthday party this morning in the park, and spent a couple of hours playing with him and the other little kids."

_"As Spiderman?"_

"Yeah." He shrugged. "You know they aren't beating down the door to hang out with _Peter Parker_."

"_There's nothing wrong with being Peter Parker_," she reminded him.

"No. I know. But I'm doing a lot of good as Spiderman, too."

They were both silent for a moment.

"_What are you doing tomorrow?"_ she asked.

"Brunch, I think. Then we'll take Ned home." He hesitated. "Do you want to do something? Maybe in the afternoon?"

"_I don't want to go to the park."_

"We could go to a movie. Or get something to eat."

"_I'll ask my mom, but she'll probably let me."_

Peter smiled.

"Let me know," he said. "Then I'll call you when we drop Ned off to give you some notice that we're on the way."

"_Okay."_

She didn't stay on the phone for long; it was getting late, after all, but Peter was feeling better when she ended their call and told him that she'd see him the next day. He put his phone in his pocket and headed back out to the living room, plucking Nutmeg off of the shelf that his Ironman doll was sitting on, still surrounded by its vibranium cage.

"Well?" Ned asked, not looking up from the game.

"We're going to go do something tomorrow after we drop you off."

"What?"

"Don't know, yet. I'm going to go talk to Tony. Want me to bring back anything?"

"No. I'm good. You taking the cat?"

"Yeah." He paused. "Karen? Where's Tony?"

By now she knew he meant Tony Stark and didn't need to differentiate. There was the slightest of hesitations as Karen interfaced with Friday for the information and then answered.

"_In the lounge."_

"Thanks."

"Does he have Ironpig?" Ned asked.

Another pause.

"_Yes."_

Ned snorted.

"Bring me back a cola, Peter."

Ned preferred them from the machine in the lounge, rather than a can. They were fizzier.

"Alright."

He tucked Nutmeg under his arm and headed for the lounge.

OOOOOO

Not surprisingly, Tony was sitting with Pepper. They were playing cards, but Peter knew that they could play them just as easily in their quarters. He was less inclined to come find them, however, if they were in their rooms as opposed to the lounge, and they both knew it.

So they hung out where he could find them if he needed them. For just this kind of reason.

Pepper was holding Ironpig when he arrived, and both of them looked over and smiled at his entrance. The boy smiled.

"Is that a new sweater?"

Tony nodded, tossing his cards into the middle of the table.

"We got a set of five – one for every day of the week."

Pepper rolled her eyes when Peter made a show of counting on his fingers to seven.

"What about the other two days?"

"Those are _naked_ pig day," Tony explained. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah. Are we doing anything tomorrow after we drop Ned off?"

Tony looked at Pepper, deferring the question to her, since he wasn't sure if she had anything planned or not. She shook her head.

"I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"MJ called. I thought maybe when we dropped Ned off, I could go hang out with her, for a while."

Peter hadn't said anything, really, but Tony and Pepper both knew that there was a strain between him and MJ at the moment – and the ambush by the mobsters hadn't helped whatever it was.

"I don't see why not," Pepper told him with a soft smile. "Ask her if she wants to come out her for the evening – she can pick out one of the wood carvings and a rug and we can have someone take her home."

"Even _better_," Tony said. "You and I can take her home in the Pontiac. Pepper's working Monday, but we're not doing anything, so it doesn't matter how late we're out, right?"

Peter nodded.

"I'll ask what she wants to do. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Are you going to bed?"

"No. But I'm going to be in my rooms. Lots of gaming to do. Ned wants a cola."

One-handed, due to a need to not drop his kitten, Peter hugged them both and said goodnight. Then he popped behind the bar and poured Ned's drink, expertly using only the one hand for that, as well.

"Don't stay up all night," Tony called as he headed out of the lounge. "Be in the garage at ten."

He couldn't wave with kitten in one hand and glass in the other, but he nodded that he'd heard, and went back to his room.

"They're going to be up all night," Pepper predicted.

"Probably."

It wouldn't be the first time.


	150. Chapter 150

"What's wrong? You look edgy…"

Peter nodded, looking over at Natasha, who had volunteered to drive Ned and Peter into the city after brunch, freeing Tony and Pepper to clear some post wedding items off their schedule. Things that they hadn't had a chance to finish with everything that had come along after the honeymoon was complete. When they left, however, Pepper was holding Nutmeg, and Tony had Ironpig, and Natasha had a suspicion that they weren't going to get much done.

They'd just dropped Ned off, and were heading over to get MJ, to take her out to the compound to give her a chance to look at the wood carvings that hadn't been claimed, yet, so she could decide which one she wanted. She'd have dinner with them, there at the compound, before Tony and Peter took her home.

"I am. A _little_."

She frowned, instantly alert.

"_Spiderman_ edgy?"

"_MJ_ edgy."

Which made the assassin smile at him. Poor baby.

"Yeah?"

"What if she's still mad?"

"Did she _sound_ mad?"

"No." he hesitated. "Maybe? I don't know."

Natasha could hear the frustration in his voice – and see it in his body language.

"Well, she _called_, right? That's a start."

"Yeah." He was silent for a while as they drove through the streets, where traffic was a little lighter than usual. "I get why she's upset," he finally said. "I _do_. It was scary for me when Mr. King met us in the park, so I'm sure it was scarier for her. But I got her out of there before she could get hurt."

"Maybe she wasn't worried about _her_ getting hurt," Romanoff said, not taking her eyes from the road, and secretly thinking that this was definitely a conversation Tony should be having with his son. She'd never rebuff the boy, though, when he needed to talk something out. She cared too much for him to do something like that. "Maybe she was worried about you."

"I wasn't hurt."

She looked over at him, incredulously.

"No?"

"Well, yeah. But not _much_. Not enough to get freaked out about."

"You mean, like when she saw you almost bleeding to death in Syracuse…?" Natasha asked, pointedly. "You have to admit, your track record with injuries is impressive – and a little scary. It's scary for _me_ to think about how many times we could have lost you. Now, put yourself into the shoes of a sixteen-year-old girl who isn't used to that kind of thing. Then it might make a little more sense."

The boy hesitated, but nodded.

"I can't _help_ that, though. That's just Peter Parker's insanely bad luck slapping me in the face."

"I know, baby. I'm just pointing out to you that she's probably not as much afraid for herself – or freaked out about the possibility of her getting hurt – as she might be about _you_ getting hurt."

"She _shouldn't_, though. I'm Spiderman, right? I've saved people – not a lot of them, but _some_. I even took a hit and stopped that car from hitting the bus."

"You're not helping your argument," Natasha told him, smiling. He didn't often self-promote, and there was just a little desperation in the words. "Being who you are puts you in danger. You know that – although you tend to ignore it. MJ is smart enough to see the possibilities, too. It can be scary."

He frowned, thinking about it.

"I guess."

"It _is_. Trust me."

Peter looked over at her.

"Do _you_ get scared?"

"That you can get hurt? _All the time_, Peter. We _all _do. Why do you think we make sure you're so thoroughly trained? We know that you're Spiderman and that you're in danger when you are. But we also know that it's something you _have_ to do. It's a part of you. And we can't hide you in the protections of the compound all day, every day. It wouldn't be fair to you – or to the people you might be able to help. So, we make sure you're as prepared as you can be to face whatever's out there. And we make sure you know how much we love you when you get back."

"Oh."

She smiled, loving him even more – and she hadn't thought that was possible.

"But now you can understand why MJ is acting the way she is. It might not change anything, but at least it'll give you a different perspective."

"Yeah." He was quiet, again, as they drove, but as they turned up the block MJ lived on, he spoke up once more. "I'm sorry I make you scared."

Romanoff shook her head.

"I'm not," she told him, to his surprise. "It's part of loving you, baby. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't worry about you. And I _love_ loving you. Never doubt that. Okay?"

He smiled, wanting to hug her but obviously not able to while she was driving.

"Thanks, Natasha."

"You're welcome."

"I love you, too."

It was a given that he was always worried about them when they were away.

Romanoff smiled.

"I might point out, though, as we're pulling up to her building…"

"Yeah?"

"She must have some kind of feelings for you, if she's worried about you."

Peter turned to her, surprised. And then he smiled, too.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, baby."

She parked in front of the building – a miracle in itself that there was an open spot for them – and Peter got out and went to the door of MJ's apartment. She answered his knock, but (not surprisingly) her dad was right there, as well. Peter didn't mind; he liked her dad, and he dutifully gave the man a rundown of what they had planned for the day and assured him that Natasha was driving them that day and that Tony and he would return her sometime after dinner.

MJ rolled her eyes, waiting for her dad to finish grilling Peter about their plans, and then let him hug her and told him that she'd be home, soon. The door closed behind her and Peter smiled, nervously.

"You look nice."

She blushed, pleased at the compliment.

"Thanks. Did you have a good brunch?"

"Yeah. You should come, next weekend."

"I'll ask."

It was a fairly long way to go to eat a meal, though, unless she was staying at the compound. Which was usually not an option unless it was a special occasion. They reached the car and Peter let MJ have the front seat by Natasha, holding her door for her, politely – which made Romanoff silently squeal inside at the gentlemanly gesture, which was so easily an echo of watching Tony do it for Pepper countless times.

Sitting in the back, Peter was able to watch them as they chatted. Natasha was a lot better at carrying a conversation that Peter was. Of course, she was a highly skilled interrogator and MJ was sixteen and no match for her. But it probably didn't hurt that Natasha didn't have a crush on MJ, and Peter decided as he watched them that _he_ most certainly did.

OOOOO

"Wow… these are incredible."

Peter nodded.

"They're the best that the Jabari had to offer, but they're not even close to all. There's one hanging in the lounge – you'll see it at dinner. I had it commissioned."

She looked over at him, Nutmeg in her hand, because who didn't want to cuddle a kitten?

"Commissioned? They owed you a hundred."

"I wanted it done, special. I had them make one for Tony and Pepper, too – and one for Stephen."

"What would one of these cost?" the girl asked, looking at the displayed wood carvings.

"The ones they made me cost two goats, apiece."

MJ frowned, looking back at him, as if trying to decide if he was teasing her.

"Two goats?"

"Yup. Six in total." He grinned and shrugged. "I had to have Shuri buy them for me, though. I was fresh out of goats and only had one little piglet."

That made her smile.

"I can't believe Mr. Stark got a pet pig."

"Right? He's not going to keep him for long, though. Just until he outgrows all the sweaters Tony bought for him."

"You're making that up."

Peter laughed, finally relaxing a little around her – probably helped by the fact that _she_ seemed a little relaxed, too.

"Wanna bet?"


	151. Chapter 151

"That's really pretty…"

Peter nodded.

"Yeah, he did a great job. Worth every goat I spent."

They were in the lounge, waiting for Tony and Pepper to join them, and MJ had noticed the wooden carving immediately, and had gone over to look at it.

"I wonder if I could get Shuri to talk to them about commissioning one for my parents."

"If you want, pick one out from the gym for your parents, too," Peter offered. "We still have almost sixty of the things. I'm sure you could find one that they'd like."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"No. I need to get rid of them. _Really_. They're just taking up space."

"I'll buy it from you, though," she said. "Because otherwise it isn't from me – it's from _you_."

"Yeah, okay. Two goats."

MJ rolled her eyes.

"What's the dollar equivalent?"

"It depends on the _goat_, I suppose."

She started to reply, but they were joined by Tony and Pepper, and MJ was distracted by the pig in Tony's arms. The girl did a double-take at the sweater the pig was wearing and glanced over at Peter, who smirked an _I told you so_ look at her in response.

"It's pretty impressive, huh, MJ?" Tony asked, referring to the wooden carving as he walked over to stand beside Peter.

"It really is. Yes."

"Did Peter take you to the gym to decide which one you wanted?" Pepper asked.

"Yes."

"She's going to take one off my hands for her parents, too," Peter added.

"Except he wants two goats for it."

"Two goa – we're not _having_ any more pets, Peter," Pepper reminded the boy. "A dog, a cat and a pig are the limit."

"She asked what they cost. I _told_ her. She insists on buying the one for her parents, so she can give it to them and it'll be from _her_ and not from me."

"Yeah. _Two goats_," Tony said, making a motion with the hand not holding the pig against his side. "Pay up, kid."

The girl smiled at the teasing, reminded just how amusing Tony Stark could be. Not something that everyone knew, of course, but something that she saw every time she was around him, really.

"Can I make payments? A piece of a goat at a time?"

Stark let his expression grow shocked, and he covered Ironpig's ears with his free hand.

"_Monster_! We don't talk like that around the babies. Let's go eat."

"What are we having?" Peter asked.

"Pork chops."

Pepper rolled her eyes, but they all headed for the table.

OOOOOO

Dinner was relaxing. Peter had taken Nutmeg from MJ so that she could have both hands free and had set the kitten down on the floor beside Ironpig. The piglet was roaming the lounge, now, with the kitten chasing its tail one minute and stalking him the next. The boy was watching them – just to make sure they stayed out of trouble – and keeping half of his attention on the conversation at hand.

Which was mostly Tony and Pepper asking MJ what she'd been doing with her summer and telling her, in return, about their trip to Wakanda and the people they had met. They were just beginning to tell her about the safari when Perter was hit so hard with his spider senses that he actually gasped. Nutmeg came running over and jumped into his lap at the same moment Tony frowned and looked over at him.

"What's wrong?"

"I… I'm not sure…" he knew he must have paled, because he could feel the blood rushing from his face and was almost light-headed. Tony half-stood, looking around.

"Is it Thor?"

Pepper looked worried, too.

"Peter?"

Nutmeg stood on his back legs, taking a swipe at Peter's chin, which actually somehow managed to help him focus. He caught the kitten in one hand and stood, as well.

"I need to go."

"Go where?"

"Something's happening," Peter told Tony. "Something bad. _Really_ bad."

"_Here_?" Pepper asked.

"No." He looked at MJ. "I'm sorry." And then back at Tony, who reached for the kitten.

"Go. Be careful, though."

"Yeah." He handed the kitten to Tony and bolted from the room, running for his quarters.

"What was that?" MJ asked, looked worried and confused.

"It's an Avenger thing," Tony told her. "Don't worry." He looked at Pepper. "If it's as bad as he's making it sound, then I want to go keep tabs on things. Do you mind keeping MJ company? I'll take her home when Peter gets back."

"Of course not." She looked at the girl with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. He's fine."

"Is it a Spiderman thing?"

Pepper nodded.

"It seems to be. We won't know for certain until he gets back."

"Mr. Stark isn't going to go, too?"

"He wouldn't be able to keep up with him. If he needs him, though, he'll call Tony, and we'll use one of Stephen's portals to get him assistance."

MJ had seen the portals, so they weren't a secret – although they had been shrugged off with the vague explanation that they were tech from a different world that the doctor happened on and utilized. It was the same story Shuri believed, as well, since everyone knew magic wasn't real.

"What do we do?" MJ asked.

Pepper shrugged.

"We _wait_. It's the downside of being on the inside of the superhero story that no one else knows about."

"Oh."

OOOOOOO

"This is bad… this is bad…"

Peter was frantic, so wrapped up in the need to get wherever he needed to be that he wasn't paying attention as he ran through the corridors of the compound on his way to get the teleportation stone from his room. Then, suddenly, it was in his hand – responding to that anxiety.

_Where_? It asked him, cheerfully, not at all concerned about his state of mind.

He stopped, and visualized the safehouse living room. A moment later he was there, and as soon as he was, he went for the suit in the bathroom. Closer, now, and more attuned to the city around him, he had a better idea of where he needed to be and by the time he had the suit on and engaged, he had Karen listening in on the scanners for the police and firefighters and first responders, and knew where he had to go.

An apartment building was on fire. And it _was_ bad.

_Where?_

Peter knew his city well enough to get anywhere, now, using the stone. He visualized a building near the address that the firefighters were responding to, and had the rock land him on the roof of a building only a block away. Hidden by the darkness, the sky in front of him was glowing an angry orange as it reflected the flames coming from several windows on the far side of the building.

"_Peter?"_

"It's a fire," he reported, knowing that Karen had probably relayed that to Friday, already.

"_How bad?"_

Karen was already taking images and scanning, uploading them into her system to share with Friday, and by extension, Tony. As she was, Peter was giving his own analysis of what he was seeing.

"Fourteen floor building, looks like only the top three are actually burning. The first responders are evacuating people and they've got tanker trucks hosing it."

"_Structural integrity? Anyone trapped?"_

"Karen's still checking it out." Had anyone seen him, they would have noticed the eyes on his suit narrow and the impressive scanners integrated within started checking each floor one by one. The thermal imagery was useless, of course, but there were all kinds of spectrums his AI was employing. "There are people up there."

He saw two women standing at a window on the far side of the building from the actual fire, looking down. There wasn't a fire escape on that side, and Peter knew that any elevators would be disabled. Everyone knew that. Acting on the need, while Karen was still doing what she could, Peter launched himself from the roof that he was on and webbed an overhang on the building next to the burning one. A quick swing put him at the window, clinging to the wall outside.

He startled the two women – who couldn't have been too many years older than he was.

"Are you hurt?"

"We're trapped! It's burning all over!"

"I'll get you down," he told them. "Who, first?"

They looked at each other, and he was impressed that they weren't panicked, just scared. Of course, this wasn't the burning side of the building, either. One leaned closer, and Peter put his arm around her, tucking her close to his side and pulling her out of the window. Now she _did_ screech, holding onto him with both hands around his upper body, but not his neck, lucky.

"I'll be right back," he told the other one, pushing away from the building and snapping his free hand out to catch an edge of the fire escape on the building on the other side of the alley.

It was awkward, but he swung them down to the ground, steadying her as they landed. He didn't wait for her to do more than fall to the surface; he was already webbing the same fire escape to pull himself back up to the window and the other woman. She wasn't quite as freaked as the first, but probably because she'd seen what was going to happen. He deposited her on the ground, as well.

"Anyone else in that part of the building?"

"My brothers," one said. She pointed to an area to the right of the window that she'd plucked them out of. "That's their room."

"Get around to the first responders," Peter ordered them. "So they don't think you're missing, too."

He didn't wait for an answer, and he was already making his way back to the window before they started moving as they'd been told. When he reached the window he entered the building, glad that the mask had a bit of a filter, and wishing the suit was better insulated. It was hot.

"Karen?"

_"Checking."_

The fire was spreading, despite the hoses that were turned full blast onto it. The building was an old one, with enough combustible materials that the firefighters were hard-pressed to keep it contained only to the floors already engulfed, and to keep it from spreading to other buildings on the block. Several firefighters had made their way up the stairwells with hoses and axes, channeling people out of the way and down to safety as they came upon them.

Peter didn't actually see all of that. Karen did, and was feeding the information to him, but he wasn't as good as Tony was at accessing and analyzing it all. He kept his eye on the scanner that was helping him see through the building smoke, and was using it to make sure he didn't find any weak spots in the floor, and dodging falling pieces of walls, knocked down by the spray of water coming blindly into the building from a firetruck with an extended hose.

_"There!"_

Karen found two life signs on the other side of a burning wall. Peter didn't hesitate; he just ran through it, moving as quickly as he could to avoid being stopped by flame or a stud in the wall. He didn't have a ton of momentum, but he had the strength needed to get through, and a piece of the ceiling came down to his right."

_"Peter, get out of there!"_ Tony told him through the suit's communication link.

"I'm almost to them," he answered.

There were two. And both were little guys; maybe two or three at the most. Both were on the floor. One was unconscious and the other sitting upright and somehow managing to cough and scream at the same time. Another piece of the ceiling came down, brushing Peter's arm as he dodged toward the boys, stumbling over a fallen beam and landing right beside them. He gathered both kids into his arms, ignoring the fact that the screamer was struggling to get free and the other one was limp.

_"Peter!"_

Tony could see what the boy couldn't. The floor was weakening under him, flooded with the weight of countless gallons of water and soaked through to the next level. The boy stood up, looking around for a way out and found himself surrounded on all side by flames, now. He could make it through the flames if he dropped the kids he was holding, but it honestly wasn't an option he even considered. He could hear Karen telling him that Tony was contacting Stephen, just as the ceiling came down above him, raining burning debris onto him and driving him back to the floor.

"_Peter!"_

_Where?_

He clutched the rock tightly in his hand, and clutched the two boys tightly with his arms and thought about home even as another chunk of the ceiling came down on him and the floor underneath gave way.

A moment later, he found himself in the living room of his quarters, sprawled on the floor behind his sofa with the two children under him.

"Karen! I need medics!"

He sat up, yanking off his mask and coughing at the smell of burning fabric that was permeating the room, and still holding tight to the little boys in his arm.


	152. Chapter 152

They thundered into his room side-by-side. And then stopped at what they saw when they cleared the doorway.

Peter was on the floor. His suit was smoldering in several places and charred in others, blatant evidence of the severity of the fire. More evident, though, was the screaming toddler that was right beside the teen, who was ignoring him in favor of another one. This one was sprawled on his back with Peter crouching over him doing CPR on the tiny body.

Strange went and pulled Peter aside, taking his place, and immediately started checking vitals on the baby. Tony scooped the other one into his arms, holding his tense little body and bouncing him, lightly as he did, trying to soothe the screams. He looked at Peter.

"Are you alright?" The boy was watching Strange, obviously shaky and maybe worse. "_Peter_!"

The toddler hiccupped and screamed, again, and the boy started and turned toward him, his face ashen, but untouched by fire or falling debris as near as Tony could tell.

"What?"

"Are you _alright_?" Tony repeated, pressing his cheek against the toddler's, making soothing noises even as he looked at his boy with concern.

Peter actually felt a surge of jealousy as he watched the man he called dad cuddle with someone else. He tamped down the toddler's reaction and nodded, looking back at the other one. Stephen was calm as he worked the little boy over; far more competent than Peter could ever feel.

"Yeah. I think so."

"Karen?"

_"Scanning. Bruises. And a few minor burns. Nothing more serious."_

"How did you get here?" Tony asked. "The teleporting rock?"

"Yeah."

There was a soft whine from the little one that Strange was working on, and then some coughing.

"That's it, baby…" the doctor said, encouragingly. "Come on, now… open your eyes and look at me…"

When he did, Strange breathed a sigh of relief and scooped the toddler into his arms, looking over at Peter, as well.

"He's okay?" Peter asked, concerned.

"Seems to be. He'll need to be checked."

"We need to get them back to the fire," Tony said, looking at his companions and then down at the child he was holding, who was now calmer. He wasn't _screaming_, anyway. "Before anyone realizes what's happened."

"I can take them," Strange said. "But Peter needs to show me where to go."

The boy frowned, but Tony knew what he meant.

"Peter. Teleport yourself back to a rooftop by the fire. A place you have a good view of everything. Find a spot no one can see you, and then signal us. Stephen will portal in with the kids and _he'll_ hand them over to the authorities."

Strange hadn't been there, so he couldn't just jump himself.

Peter nodded and put his mask back on, suppressing a cough at the acrid smell of the cloth now trapped inside with him. A moment later the rock was in his hand.

_Where?_

He was gone an instant later, and Tony looked over at the magician.

"You'll have to tell them that Spiderman saved them. The women Peter rescued are going to know." He looked down at the toddler, who was looking up at him, dazed. "_You're_ not going to tell anyone where you went, right?" he crooned, more than willing to keep the child from screaming.

"Momma…"

He smiled, and they heard an alert from Peter. Strange handed the boy he was holding over to Tony long enough to cast the spell that would lock onto the GPS in Peter's watch and then created a portal.

"I'll be right back," he said, holding his arms out for first one of the toddlers, and then the other.

Then he vanished through the portal, which disappeared immediately, behind him. A short moment later Peter reappeared, but in his bedroom. Smart, Tony decided, walking into the other room. Especially since he probably hadn't been sure where Tony was standing.

Peter had his mask off, and had dropped to sit on the edge of his bed, looking exhausted and still somewhat shell-shocked.

"Get your suit off, son," Tony said, heading for the boy's dresser to find him some clothes. His would still be in the bathroom at the safehouse, but Tony didn't want him to go back there, just then. "We'll get you into street clothes and looking a little less rattled, and then go join Pepper and MJ for a few minutes, so MJ knows you're good before I take her home."

"I can go with you, still," Peter said.

"You're sure?"

"I don't want her freaking out. The easiest way is to be normal about it all, right? Downplay it?"

"Yes, I'd agree." He tossed a bundle of clothes on the bed. "You smell like smoke. Better take a shower before you change."

It would give Stephen time to get back to the compound and check those bruises that Karen had mentioned.

OOOOOO

The streets around the still burning building were chaos. A mixture of people screaming and gawking and rescue vehicles with sirens and flashing lights. There was smoke everywhere, adding to the evening dusk to obscure almost everything.

A trio of police offers were talking with a fireman next to a police cruiser when one noticed a movement from a smoky alley next to the building. All of them were stunned to see a man walk out of the hazy smoke, looking calm and holding two little kids. He saw them at the same time, and made for them, even as they headed for him.

"I just saw Spiderman," the man told them with a muffled cough, wiping his smoke-irritated eyes with his shoulder since his arms were filled with the two children. "He told me that these two were from an upstairs apartment."

The fireman reached for one of the toddlers and a police officer took the other, both immediately soothing them.

"Where is he?" asked another officer.

The man shrugged, far calmer than the people running around the streets in front of him.

"He left. Probably had to go check on some other calamity." He gestured to the baby in the fireman's arms. "_That_ one was unconscious and needed to be resuscitated. You'll want to have an EKG and an EEG done on him, as well as lung function tests."

They watched in surprise as he walked back into the alley, as calmly as he'd emerged.

"How did he know all that?" one of the police officers asked, while another went to look for him, to keep him from getting in the way – or getting hurt.

The other shrugged and looked at the kid he was holding.

"Spiderman probably told him. Let's go find out who's missing a couple of babies. They're going to be a sight for someone's eyes, that's for sure."

OOOOOOO

Pepper was sitting in the lounge with MJ, still, when Peter and Tony returned less than an hour after Peter's abrupt departure. She saw them, first, and watched both of them as they walked over to the table. Peter's hair was wet – an indication that he'd probably had a shower – and his eyes were a little wild, she noticed when they came close enough – but she didn't see any bruises, and he wasn't limping.

"Everything alright?" she asked as Peter sat down near MJ and Tony leaned over and kissed Pepper's cheek before reclaiming his chair – and his pig.

"Yes. It was a fire."

MJ looked at Peter, too, worried, but he smiled and shrugged.

"It was a big one, but everything's okay. Really."

The girl nodded, and handed the kitten she was holding over to him, since it was suddenly squirming in her grasp.

"You're not hurt?"

"No. I'm good. _Really_." He buried his face in Nutmeg's fur. "What did we miss?"

"I was telling her about the game you rescued Ironpig from," Pepper said. "But I'm doing a lousy job of it. Maybe _you_ can explain the rules a little better…"

Peter smiled.

"Yeah. It was fun – except for the end, when they wanted to eat the ball."

"Poor little guy."

"You should have seen it, MJ," Tony said, also smiling, and clearly intent on making sure things stayed light-hearted. Peter was having enough trouble with the fledgling relationship that he had with the girl; he certainly didn't need to add the events of the night to it all. "We're talking with a couple of the village elders about crops, or something, and the next thing you know, Peter comes running by with this squealing piglet tucked under his arm with a dozen little kids chasing him, having the time of their lives."

That made MJ smile over at Peter, who shrugged but nodded.

"True story."

Pepper looked at her watch.

"You two had better get her home, before her family thinks we've decided to keep _her_, too. MJ, you and Peter go decide what carving you want for your parents. Peter can bring them both to the car for you. We'll discuss how many goats it'll cost you, later."

"Thanks." She looked expectantly at Peter, who nodded again, and stood up.

"Yeah."

"Meet me in the garage in twenty minutes," Tony told them.

"Will do."

The two adults watched as the teens left, and Pepper looked over at her husband.

"Is he alright?"

"Yeah, Pep. It was scary close for a minute, but he managed to get out with just a few little bruises and some very minor burns – not even as bad our sunburns were."

He would have hedged it a little, but there was no way the story wasn't going to be in the newspaper, eventually. Spiderman had saved four lives – although only two would be sharing their story with anyone. That was sensational enough that the media would jump on it. Pepper would see it, for sure. Besides, he was telling the truth, and for a change, Peter was _fine_.

"You're sure?"

"Yes. His suit took the brunt of things, and is ruined. But it makes me glad there's a filtration system in the mask. I wasn't sure it would ever be needed."

"Smart."

He preened, pretending to wipe dust particles from his shoulder.

"I have my moments."

"You'll have Stephen look him over?"

"He already _did_. As soon as he took the babies back to the city."

She frowned.

"What babies?"

"Long story."

"You have twenty minutes."

Good point.


	153. Chapter 153

"How do you feel?"

Peter shrugged, buckling his seatbelt, and looking over at Tony.

"I'm a little tired."

Stark nodded. He looked more than just a_ little tired_. But the boy had stayed awake while they'd driven MJ home, talking with her about other things that had happened on their Wakandan trip. He'd also carried her wooden carvings up to her apartment for her – even though Tony had offered to do it for him.

"We'll make sure you can sleep in, tomorrow."

"Yeah."

"She had a pretty good time, I think."

Peter nodded, looking relieved, as Tony pulled the car out onto the street to begin the drive home.

"She said she did. Thanks for letting her come out."

"You're welcome, son. We like her."

"Still, it's a lot of driving, and I appreciate it."

Tony smiled, his hand brushing Peter's shoulder although he didn't turn his attention from the traffic around them.

"You're worth it."

Which made Peter smile, because he knew Tony meant it. He wasn't just saying it to be nice. The boy hesitated.

"Do you think those little kids are going to be okay?"

"Stephen said they looked good. He'd know, right?"

"Yes."

"You're probably out of commission for a little while, though," Tony added. "Until we get you another suit put together – unless Shuri finishes the one she's making, first. We won't count on that, though."

"It's ruined?"

"Yes. Some places were burned almost all the way through to the interior layer. No fixing that, and we're not just going to patch it. Too much chance of there being a critical weakness at the wrong spot. Queens will have to muddle through on its own for a day or two. Or you'll be swinging through the buildings, naked. You choose."

Peter smiled, slyly.

"The _mask_ wasn't burned, though. No one would know it was me."

Stark snorted, amused.

"_MJ_ would."

Peter blushed, brilliantly.

"Good point. I'll _wait_."

They were quiet, then; Peter always letting him concentrate when they were driving in the city – even though traffic wasn't that bad on a Sunday night. Tony glanced over at him and hit the control on the steering wheel that turned on the music. Light jazz, which _he_ preferred, and knew would put the boy to sleep; something he hadn't had to pull on him in a while, but which he was always willing to do, when needed.

Peter was a bit wired, still, from the fire rescue, and Tony didn't want him up all night. If he fell asleep on the way home, he could simply put the boy to bed when they reached the compound. Yeah, maybe it was a little sneaky, but Tony wasn't above doing it – and even better, he knew _Pepper_ would agree.

OOOOOOO

"He's okay?"

Stark nodded, looking over at Peter, who had lasted longer than Tony had expected, but had finally fallen asleep about halfway home, leaning almost drunkenly against the window.

"He's fine, honey."

"Do you think we should put him in our bed?" Pepper asked as Tony steadied the boy and she opened the door, to keep him from tumbling out of the car.

He unbuckled Peter's seatbelt and came around to that side of the car, and now it was Pepper steadying the sleeping boy.

"_His_, I think," Tony decided.

Of course, he might end up in theirs, eventually.

He gathered Peter up into his arms, which roused him, at least somewhat.

"What…?"

"Shh… we're putting you to bed."

The boy hadn't even opened his eyes.

"I'm too old to be carried to bed," he mumbled, bringing his head down to Tony's shoulder and looping an arm around Tony's.

"I know," Tony told him, winking over at Pepper, who smiled. "Go back to sleep…"

"I'm not tired…"

"I know." He looked at Pepper. "Where's my pig?"

"In his enclosure."

"And Nutmeg?"

"Off somewhere knocking something off a shelf, most likely. The bartenders want you to expand that shield thing on his collar to protect their booze."

"Yeah, I've heard that, already. Apparently he took out a bottle of good scotch yesterday."

"I heard an entire wine rack…"

"_That_ could have been anyone." She arched an eyebrow at him, and he shrugged. "Peter and I can work on reconfiguring the net sometime this week."

"Thank you."

They put their son to bed, not bothering to do more than take off his shoes and cover him up, and then they went to bed, too. It was getting late and Pepper was planning on working at the tower the next day.

OOOOOO

_It was hot, and if he hadn't been so hyped on adrenaline, he knew he'd have been terrified. He hadn't actually seen the ceiling coming down on him, but Karen had, and it had come up on his HUD, even as he could feel the floor giving way below him and the two little boys he had hold of. The panic that he hadn't felt then was beginning to build inside his chest, causing him to gasp, and making him tense._

_He needed to get away. He found himself looking around, almost desperately. He couldn't use his webbing; his hands were filled with kids. He felt himself falling, heard the toddler screaming in his ear – and the raspy breathing of the silent one roaring in his ears with all the terrible realization when that breathing suddenly stopped, abruptly._

_He was losing._

_Something landed on his chest, and the panic attack that had been building was suddenly doused like an ember under a waterfall as a masculine voice cut into the nightmare, drawing his attention._

"_How did you know about the fire?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_The fire, Peter. How did you know where you needed to be?"_

"_I didn't. Not until I knew about it."_

"_But you knew you were needed."_

"_Yes."_

"_That's incredible."_

"_It's nothing."_

"_What if you didn't go?"_

"_I did."_

"_But if you were busy doing something else, and you didn't want to go. What would happen to you?"_

"_Nothing."_

"_It wouldn't keep bothering you?"_

"_I don't know. Maybe. I go, though."_

"_You could have died."_

"_I was okay."_

"_To save someone you don't even know."_

"_Lots of people would have done it – there were firemen heading that way. I just got there, first."_

"_I don't understand your people."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Nothing. Forget I said anything."_

"_Who are you?"_

"_Where did you find the Nagh ViH?"_

"_The what?"_

"_How did you learn how to use it? That's amazing."_

_He felt genuine admiration but was confused._

"_I don't know what you mean."_

_The admiration turned to chagrin._

"_I know. I'm sorry. Feeling better?"_

_Peter realized that, yes, he did feel better. The panic that had been building was gone. The need to be elsewhere was still there, but it wasn't blind panic fueling it, now. It was simply the underlying need to be held. To know that he was loved._

"_Yes. What happened?"_

_There was gentle amusement._

"_Nothing you need to worry about. Let's go see Natasha. She loves you, and she's closer than Tony and Pepper. Less chance of you getting into trouble while moving around."_

OOOOOOO

She woke, briefly, when he arrived in her bedroom. It wasn't completely unexpected, after all. Romanoff smiled, sleepily, when the boy slid under the blankets that she pulled back for him, and she plucked the kitten from his hand to keep it from getting caught between them when Peter rolled into her embrace.

"Are you alright, baby?" she whispered, tucking the blankets around them and then settling Nutmeg into a spot on the pillows by their heads.

"Sleepy," Peter murmured. "I almost lost…"

"Yeah, I heard it was close. But you did great. Go to sleep, baby. We'll talk about it, tomorrow."

"You'll hold me?"

"I've already got you," she assured him, amused.

He nodded, and fell silent. Romanoff did, too.


	154. Chapter 154

"He ended up with Natasha?"

"Yeah. That's where Friday told me he was."

"He's not _hurt_, though, right?"

"No, honey. I think he was just a bit more afraid than he's letting on. When he's _afraid_, he tends to end up with her, I've noticed. When he needs comfort, that's when he comes to mom and dad."

Pepper smiled at the phrasing, as she always did when he reminded her that they were honest to goodness parents.

"Where is he, now?"

"Coming through the door behind you."

She turned and looked over her shoulder toward the entrance to the lounge and was genuinely surprised to see Peter walk through the entrance, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, carrying Nutmeg, but still looking a bit tousled, as if he'd only just woken up. He was smiling, though, when he leaned over Pepper's side and gave her a one-armed hug by way of greeting.

"Good morning, mom," he told her, which made her and Tony both smile.

"Hi, sweetheart. How do you feel?"

"I'm okay. I was hoping to see you off to work."

"Do you need something?" Pepper asked.

He shook his head, taking a seat.

"No. I just wanted to see you."

Tony had to hide his smile behind a sip of his coffee. Pepper looked so pleased and Peter had been so sincere.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Tony asked, setting his coffee cup down and reaching for Nutmeg, who mewed, softly, before starting to purr under the billionaire's caresses.

"Later. I haven't been up long enough to really be hungry." He rolled his eyes, amused. "I had to help Natasha find some of the things from her nightstand."

"Your buddy here made sure of it?"

"Yeah."

Pepper smiled at that, and looked down at the tablet she had next to her coffee cup.

"You made the front page."

"I did?"

"_Spiderman_ did," she corrected, pushing it over to him. "The fire last night looks a lot scarier than you two made it sound."

"It was scary for the people trapped in the building," Peter said with a shrug. "I was never actually trapped, so it wasn't so bad."

"Saved four people, though," Stark pointed out. "That's mad skills."

Peter smiled.

"Does it say anything about the little kids?"

All he saw was a couple of blurry pictures of the building on fire.

"Yeah. They're good."

"Who knew the CPR class Stephen gave me would actually come in handy?" he asked, relieved.

"I'm so _proud_ of you," Pepper told him.

Peter blushed.

"Anyone would have done it," he replied. Then he frowned, because it seemed that he'd had that conversation before. Not with her, though.

"You alright?" Tony asked.

He was always aware of Peter, and hadn't missed the odd expression on his face.

"What? Oh. Yeah. No. I'm fine. I was just thinking that I've already said that."

"I've got to get going," Pepper told them, reaching for her tablet and then looking at Peter. "Unless _you_ need me to stay?"

"I'm okay," he assured her. "I'll walk out with you."

"Happy is driving, today," she said as she gathered her things. "So I am going to have a chance to read the rest of the article and relax a little."

Tony reached for her bag once she'd loaded it up and handed the kitten back to the boy.

"We're going to check out Peter's suit and see what needs to be done."

"You're not going to try and repair it, are you?" she asked as the three of them walked out of the lounge, with the boy between the two adults. "I thought it was fairly well destroyed."

"_It_ _is_, and we aren't. But we can get a lot of data from what's left of it. It'll make the next one even safer, if he finds himself in a similar situation."

"You weren't burned?" she asked – again.

"No, mom," Peter assured her. "Really minor. You can ask Stephen when you see him, next. A couple of bruises from the ceiling coming down on us, but the rock moved me before anything could happen."

"We didn't even know it could move more than one person," Tony pointed out. "And it isn't something to experiment with, of course, unless the need is great enough. Which it _was_," he added before Peter could doubt himself.

"I agree," Pepper told him, sliding her hand along his back. She looked at Tony as they walked out to the front of the facility, where Happy was waiting with the car. "Make sure you keep an eye on our guy, here, today, Tony. If he starts looking even a little off…"

"I will call Stephen, immediately."

"Good." She kissed Tony, and then kissed Peter's cheek, adding a kiss to Nutmeg's furry face, as well. "Have a good day."

"You, too."

"Drive safe," Peter said to Happy, who winked at him and then got behind the wheel.

The two watched as the car drove off, and then Tony turned to Peter.

"You ended up with Natasha last night?"

"Yeah."

"Is she _awake_, then? Or was she going back to sleep after cleaning up after Hurricane Nutmeg?"

Peter grinned, making a show of covering the kitten's ears.

"She said she was going to get up."

"Good. I'm going to go find her. Get yourself some breakfast and then come find _me_. I'll be in my workroom, looking at your suit."

"Okay."

OOOOOO

Peter wasn't too surprised that he didn't get through his breakfast before his phone rang, and Ned's image was suddenly in front of him.

_"Holy shit, Peter. Did you see the paper?"_

"No. Not, yet."

_"Dude. What happened, last night?"_ his friend was a mixture of excited and scared, clearly trying to see if Peter was injured, but with only the little screen it was hard to tell. "_I saw the pictures, and my mom was all_ 'that Spiderman is going to hurt himself one of these days, bless his heart. He needs a momma to watch over him."_ He rolled his eyes. "She meant her, of course, and it was all I could do to tell her that Spiderman has a momma to watch over him. Are you okay?"_

"Yeah. I'm fine. We were talking in the lounge with MJ and I had to go, suddenly, and I didn't know it was a fire until I got there."

_"You saved 4 people?"_

"Yeah. A couple of little kids and two women."

_"I saw the picture of the women in the paper,"_ Ned told him, approvingly. _"They're cute. Too bad you can't be all walking up to them and "hey, baby, I'm Spiderman. Remember that time I saved your life…/ How about a kiss?"_

Peter rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Ned."

_"Oh! Maybe they'll send you a letter. Then we can read it before Pepper gets hold of it."_

"Probably not. I think she's going to be wanting to hang around whenever we open any more of those."

_"Yeah."_

"I need to go," Peter told him. "Tony's in the workroom looking at my suit and I want to see what he wants to do about it."

_"What do you mean?"_

"It was pretty much ruined. The building started to come down on me."

_"Wow. You're sure you're okay?"_

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'll call you later, okay?"

_"Alright."_

Peter ended the call and looked at Nutmeg, who was sitting on his thigh, mostly asleep.

"Do you want to come with me to see grandpa's workroom?" he asked the kitten, amused that he wasn't above baby=talking the kitten, either. "Or should I find someone to kitten-sit?"

He didn't get a reply – but he didn't _expect_ one. Shoving the test of the sausage in his mouth, he grabbed his dishes in one hand, and his kitten in the other and headed off to find Tony.


	155. Chapter 155

"You give me that back, mister, or I swear to God I'm going to make you into a rug..."

Peter smiled at the threat, watching Tony square off with Nutmeg, who had a strip of fabric in his mouth and was holding it out of the man's reach.

"A _rug_?"

Stark shrugged, good-naturedly – and caught the kitten up in one hand and the fabric in the other.

"A mitten, anyway. Or a placemat."

"A really small one, maybe."

"Yeah." He managed to get the fabric from Nutmeg, and set it back on the table, this time retaining his hold on the kitten. "It's pretty bad, son."

"Yeah."

They were in his workroom, and had set the Spiderman suit on the table, completely laid out so they could see the damages done to it. The legs weren't too terrible; they had been folded up under Peter, protecting the two toddlers. The rest was unusable – and not repairable. Some places were simply charred while other spots were melted from the high temperatures. These were the places where Peter had sustained actual burns, although nothing too serious, luckily.

"To risk spoiling your surprise, the suit Shuri is making for you is going to be black, with very little option for any kind of patterning or symbols. We worked in a spider, but it's not – _technically_ – a part of the suit, it's the nanotech housing. I think the one we make to replace this one should be closer to your traditional colors. To keep people from thinking you've gone over to the dark side, or something."

'Yeah. I'm okay with that."

"Okay." He started working with the displays in front of him, but was also paying attention to the conversation – and holding the kitten in his hand, firmly. "If I'd have been thinking, we'd already have a couple different incarnations of the suit in various stages of readiness. We should have known something like this could happen."

"Well, you live and you-"

They were interrupted by a knock on the door of the workroom, and the arrival of Natasha, Clint and Steve. Not unexpected, since they all wanted to see the damage that had been done to Peter's suit. He knew that they had all seen the videos that Karen had recorded – as well as some news footage that had managed to capture a short clip of Spiderman swinging into the burning zone.

"Wow, that's bad…" Clint said, frowning as they entered the room, his eyes on the suit on the table, not missing any details of the damage done.

An arm came around Peter's shoulder and Natasha shook her head.

"That was a little too close."

"It looked a lot closer than it really was," Peter reminded her. And them. "I got out before anything bad could happen."

"You didn't know that rock would take all of you, though," Steve said. "Pretty bold plan."

Peter had the grace to look chagrined.

"I didn't think about limits," he admitted. "It was in my hand asking me where I wanted to go and Tony was shouting for me to get out. So, I did."

"You did great," Natasha assured him. She turned to the suit. "I assume that isn't something you're going to pull out a sewing kit to repair?"

"No," Tony agreed. "We'll be making him a new one from the inside out."

"What about the one Shuri is making him?" Clint asked. They all knew about it, and were curious. "Can't he use that one, instead?"

"If it were _finished_, sure. But I don't know what her progress is on it, and I don't want Peter to be without a suit any longer than necessary. It won't kill him to have two, if needed."

"What happens if you start getting the urge to go save someone and you can't?" Steve asked, with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "I've seen how inside out you've looked…"

"I don't know," Peter admitted. "It's never happened, before. It'll probably just bother me, I suppose. It isn't anything I'm too worried about, really. We were in Wakanda for weeks and I didn't feel anything."

"Because of the distance?" Clint asked, making Tony scowl.

"Let's switch the topic to one that _isn't_ going to make me worry about him while I'm making him a new suit, can we?"

"The mother of those toddlers was on the news, this morning," Natasha said, her grip on Peter's shoulder tightening, almost imperceptibly. "She said that since she can't thank _Spiderman_, she thinks that there should be some kind of foundation in his name – and that as the only other resident superheroes in the area, the _Avengers_ should be in charge of it."

"What kind of foundation?" Tony asked, frowning.

"She didn't get that far," Romanoff said. "Started crying. _Happy_ tears," she added for Peter's benefit. "All four of the people you saved last night were related. You save a family a lot of sorrow and grief."

He smiled, proud of himself, even though eh knew he really had nothing to do with the abilities that had allowed him to do it.

"Thanks."

"How long until he gets a new suit?" Steve asked, curiously.

"A few days at the most," Tony replied. He raised the kitten in his hand up to rub his face against its furry body. "Depends on how much help Nutmeg here gives me."

"So… a month? A couple of years?" Natasha teased, making Peter roll his eyes.

"Something like that." Tony handed the kitten over to Peter. "All of you, get out. I need to get some work done. Peter. Go check on my pig, will you? If he's eaten, then you can let him out of his enclosure and he can run around."

"Alright."

The boy left, carrying the kitten, but the others all stayed,

"It was pretty close," Steve said, his eyes dark with concern.

"Yeah." Tony shrugged. "But I've watched the videos several times and I don't see anything that he could have done _differently_. You?"

He knew Steve would have watched them just as carefully – if not more. And Steve was much better at tactics than Tony was.

"No. You should be very proud of him, Tony. He's got guts."

"I _am_. I just want to make sure that they stay inside him."

Natasha smiled.

"He's doing fine."

"He ended up in your bed, though," Tony pointed out. "So maybe not as fine as we hope?"

"He wasn't afraid, and hadn't had a bad dream," she pointed out. "Just came looking for _company_, I think."

"More of a habit than any real need?" Tony asked.

She shrugged.

"I'd say so."

"There are worse places to go to cuddle," Clint pointed out, making Romanoff smile.

"Well, we'll keep him busy, today. He doesn't know it, but he's going to be going to Wakanda in the next day or so."

"Oh?" Natasha wasn't the only one to raise an eyebrow at that. "Am I flying him?"

"No. Your boyfriend is going to portal him in."

"Does he know?"

"I just told you that he doesn't."

"Not _Peter_," Natasha said with a smile. "I meant Stephen."

Stark frowned, and then shrugged.

"No. I should probably give him a call and invite him to dinner."


	156. Chapter 156

"You know, you're going to _spoil_ him…"

Peter smiled, flipping the piece of feather in front of Nutmeg so the kitten could attack it.

"He's a _baby_, Natasha. It's his job to be spoiled."

"He's also a _menace_."

"Only if you're an elf on the shelf."

She shook her head and found a spot on the floor beside the boy, who was in the corner of the lounge that once had a blanket and toys that catered just to him when he was a toddler. Now, it was dominated by a large wooden box that was filled with toys for the kitten and a covered litter box to keep him from being forced to wander around looking for a place to go.

"He's getting pretty big, isn't he?" she said, watching as the kitten pounced on the feather just as Peter jerked it out of the way.

"Yeah. Not as scrawny as he was when we found him." Peter smiled when Nutmeg caught the feather and wrapped himself around it, kicking it with his hind feet. "Pepper set up an appointment with a vet to make sure he gets all the shots that he needs."

"And neutered?"

Peter looked shocked, reaching out and covering the kitten's ears.

"Not, yet. He's too _young_ for that."

Before she could reply, they were suddenly joined by a piece of very excited, heavy fabric. The cloak swooped into the corner, startling Nutmeg into arching his back and poofing out, every hair suddenly twice as fluffy and looking like a 1 pound predator as he warned the cloak that he was a tough guy and not to be trifled with.

It ignored the kitten, and wrapped itself around Peter, who grinned at how happy the ancient relic was to see him. It never got old to be so wanted, after all. Not when it was Tony and Pepper, or when it was Natasha and the rest of the Avengers – and Stephen and Wong. Not even when it was the cloak, It was the greatest feeling in the world.

The relic crooned, cheerfully, into his mind, and Peter and Natasha both turned toward the entrance of the lounge, assuming Stephen would be making an appearance any minute. Unless he went looking for Natasha in her quarters, although the lounge would be a better place to start. They both smiled, then, when they saw the sorcerer enter the room, carrying a giant structure in his hands that was easily as tall as he was.

"What in the world…?"

Peter scrambled out of the way as Natasha scooped Nutmeg into her hands when the magician carried his burden over to the corner and set it next to the wooden box.

"What is _that_?" Peter asked, curiously, ignoring the way the cloak was caressing his ears, singing a lullaby to him. He wasn't sleepy, just then.

"It's a cat tree," Strange explained. "Wong sent it over."

"What does it do?" Natasha asked.

"Really?" Stephen shook his head. "You guys have never seen one?"

They looked at each other and shook their heads.

"No."

"Is it for Nutmeg, then?" Peter guessed, since he'd called it a cat tree.

"It is." The doctor took the kitten from Natasha and set him up on one of the three platforms that ran along the length of the trunk. There was also a tunnel-looking thing where he could hide if he wanted, and there was rope hanging down with feathers at the end. "It'll let him feel like he can watch everything that is going on around him, without having him underfoot and maybe getting stepped on."

They all watched as Nutmeg looked around, probably trying to figure out what he was supposed to do now that he was up there.

"Maybe a cushion or something for him to sit on?" Natasha suggested.

One appeared in Strange's hand and he picked the kitten up and put the cushion under him.

"What is that?"

They all turned to look at Tony, who had just walked into the lounge – most likely alerted by Friday that Stephen had arrived.

"It's a cat tree," Natasha said.

"Wong sent it with Stephen."

The billionaire frowned, looking up at the kitten, who still looked somewhat uncertain about where he was standing.

"We're sure it isn't going to fall and hit someone?"

"It's weighted on the bottom," Strange told him, with a shrug. "You're an engineer. Figure it out. All I know is I'm not taking it home with me."

"Tell Wong thanks," Peter said, admiring the thing, now that he knew what it was. "I think it's great."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Do they make one for pigs?"

"No."

"Fine."

He turned and as he did, Nutmeg launched himself from the top of the cat tree and landed on Tony's shoulder. Before Stark could grab him to keep him from falling – and to keep from having those sharp little claws digging into his shoulder – the kitten launched from Tony's shoulder to the floor, and then ran himself up the cat tree and ended up exactly where he'd started.

The billionaire scowled at Strange.

"That better not become a thing…"

The sorcerer shrugged with an innocent smile.

"He's a _cat_, Tony. Everything can become a thing with them. Did you need something in particular? Or was this a social invitation?"

"It's always a social invitation," Tony told him. "However, now that you mention it, I do need a favor. Come sit down and let's talk."

"Do you need me?" Peter asked.

Tony and Natasha both shook their heads.

"It's not a secret, though," the man told him. "You can stay."

"I'm going to go call MJ."

He'd much rather do that someplace private.

"Tell her I said hi."

The boy nodded and watched his kitten for a minute and decided that he was probably fine where he was. There were a few people there to keep an eye on him, after all. Then he left.

OOOOO

"You understand I'm not a travel agent, right, Tony?" Stephen said, only a few minutes later, when Stark had told him what he needed.

"Yeah, I know. It'd be a lot faster, if you helped us get him to Wakanda, though. Otherwise the options are to have Natasha and Clint fly him there – which turns it into a ceremonial visit; which doesn't even add in the time it'll take, and the jetlag involved."

"Or…?"

"Or he uses the teleportation stone – which I'm not a huge fan of him trying for such a long distance."

"No… I'm not enamored of that idea, either." Neither mentioned Peter making his own portal. Not that the boy couldn't do it – maybe – but he wasn't the magician and if he wasn't doing magic, they'd both be happier. Stephen scratched his jaw. "When do you want to do this?"

"Sometime tomorrow. You're welcome to come and see what she's doing."

"I'll wait for the finished product. Yes, I'll portal you and Peter to Wakanda, tomorrow. Just let me know when."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He and Tony both started when Nutmeg suddenly landed in the middle of the table, having launched himself from the cat tree, again. Before either of them could do more than realize what had happened, Natasha snaked out a quick hand and caught him.

"That's enough of that, young man," she chided, one hand holding the kitten and the other tapping his nose, with gentle affection. "You're going to give them heart-attacks."

Tony just glared at Strange, who shrugged.


	157. Chapter 157

"Peter!"

He smiled, catching Shuri's hug almost as soon as he emerged from the portal.

"Hello, my sweet."

Shuri laughed and squeezed once more, and then let go and smiled at Tony, who had emerged right beside him.

"Hello, Tony."

Stark gave a little half bow, only somewhat mocking.

"Hello, my sweet."

She rolled her eyes.

"I am a _princess_," she reminded them both. There is supposed to be some formality."

"My apologies…" Tony gave another bow. "_Princess_ sweet."

She shook her head, and her brother who had been standing just off to the side stepped forward, as well, offering Tony his hand.

"Tony," T'Challa said. "It is good to see you, again."

"T'Challa." Tony's smile wasn't a match for Shuri's cheerfulness – nothing was – but he was still pleased to see the young king. Although his next words were pert – especially when addressed to royalty. "Shouldn't you be off _kinging_ somewhere?"

"Is that even a word?" Shuri asked.

"He makes them up as he goes along," Peter told her, looking around her workroom.

"A good king keeps his eyes and ears on the day to day lives of his subjects," T'Challa said, sagely.

"Or he was just too nosey to stay away," Shuri said, rolling her eyes. "You decide."

He winked at his sister, and then turned to Peter.

"I saw an article on the fire in your city, Peter. Were you injured, at all?"

"No. Just a few really light burns and bruises. My suit took the brunt of it all."

"Ruined it," Tony added. "We've started him a new one in his traditional colors, but the timing might be pretty good to see what the kid here has been cooking up in her lab."

"T'Challa is curious, too," Shuri said, not minding at all that she was being teased. She knew it was in good fun – and there weren't a lot of people who were willing to risk doing that. Besides, it was Tony Stark, who was a recognized genius and Ironman. If someone was going to tease you, he was right up there at the top of the list. "As he should be, since Peter's new suit will be similar to his Black Panther habit."

"I've only seen it, the once," Tony said, looking at the young king. "And I was a little distracted by the sight of my son runny by mostly naked carrying a baby rhino…"

T'Challa slapped his chest and was suddenly engulfed in black armor with a definite feline cast to the features.

"Wow…" Peter stepped forward, just as interested as Tony. "It's nanotech?"

"It _is_," Shuri agreed, pleased at his reaction – as well as Tony's. As well she should be, really. "His does not carry an AI such as Tony's Ironman suit – or like your will have. He doesn't require it, since if needed I can interact with him from anywhere via my own comstats."

T'Challa helmet disengaged, melting back into the suit, and the king of Wakanda smiled.

"I might rethink it, though. Listening to your little sister in the middle of a battle can be somewhat distracting."

"Not when she is speaking good sense," Shuri pointed out. "If you want one, though, I could figure it out. Tony has been very generous with his coding and knowledge. It would take a while, though."

"I am happy with the habit the way it is," he assured his sister.

"What does it do?" Peter asked, curiously.

"It has many properties that will protect the wearer," Shuri said. "Fire resistant, bulletproof and because it is vibranium primarily, it will absorb the force of impacts that come T'Challa's way."

"So… explosion proof?" Peter hazarded.

"Basically," she agreed. "To a _point_. It is not something I would like him to test more than necessary, of course."

"Right."

Tony walked over, looking at the suit T'Challa was wearing.

"It's not as bulky as my newest armor, but it's a bit bulkier than will work for Peter, I assume…"

"I assumed, as well," Shuri agreed. "The nanotechnology in the suit I am designing for Peter is going to be taught to form a less dense shell, but one that is far more flexible. T'Challa can run, jump and maneuver in his habit, but Peter needs to be able to swing, which takes more elasticity properties."

"So, less explosion proof, though, because of it?" Tony asked, curiously.

She smiled.

"You'd think that, but no. Not with vibranium. A single layer is as durable as two, due to the dampening properties of the ore. I am going to go for three layers, however, because it will be flexible, and will provide a reinforcement in case the first two layers were to fail for some reason."

"Smart."

"I try."

"Do you have a protype ready?" Tony asked her.

"Yes." She turned to Peter. "Undress, please."

He blushed a brilliant red.

"What?"

"The new suit will be able to form over your clothing," she told him, grinning with mischievousness. "The prototype is not there, just yet. You may retain your underwear, but I need you to be undressed in order to check the formation."

Peter looked over at Tony, who was equally amused. He shrugged.

"It's her lab."

T'Challa was, predictably, a little more hesitant.

"Do you really need him naked?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Not naked, brother. _Unclothed_."

"It's the same thing," Peter said, before T'Challa could.

"Relax. It is nothing I have not already seen, while you were here, under my care."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," the boy told her, still blushing.

"Me, _either_," T'Challa added.

"Do you want a new suit or not?" she asked him, pointedly.

He hesitated, and Tony snorted.

"Just get undressed, Peter. She isn't going to see any more of you than she saw at the swimming place, right?"

"That's not the point," he said, sighing. "Close your eyes."

She raised an eyebrow.

"For the entire test?"

The boy shook his head and pulled his shirt off. At least Karen wasn't there to play stripper music, he thought, looking for a place to put the shirt and handing it to Tony. His shoes went, next and then his pants, leaving him standing in just his boxers and socks.

"Socks, also."

"Seriously?"

"Do you know the story of Achilles?" she asked.

He did, and he took his socks off, too.

T'Challa frowned at the bruising on Peter's shoulders and upper back, as well as the faint red marks.

"That's from the fire?" he asked.

"Yeah," Tony said. "Not bad, huh? And at that, it's had a chance to heal a bit."

"Could we get on with this?" Peter asked, plaintively, shivering just a little in the cool air of Shuri's lab.

The two men moved aside, gesturing for Shuri to take the stage, so to speak. She stepped forward and placed a small, flat box against the center of Peter's chest, just above his sternum. It stuck there when she moved her hand, surprising the boy, who had already started to reach for it to keep it from falling.

"This shouldn't hurt, much," she told him. "Advise me if it does."

"Much?" Peter repeated.

Before she could do more than smirk, he felt the oddest sensation, like something cool running along his skin. He looked down and saw a layer of pitch blackness advancing along his body, conforming to his musculature and advancing down his stomach to his hips, thighs and then lower, to even form a sort of a boot at the end.

Tony stepped up, frowning.

"That looks good," he said, reaching out and sliding a hand along Peter's right arm, which was covered all the way down to his fingers.

"It is a good start," Shuri agreed, running a scanner over Peter's wrists where his watch was on one hand and the bracelet that carried his web shooter was on the other. "I will train them to circumnavigate the web shooters, and will still need to decide how to camouflage the housing unit. I assume he will not want others to know what it is – and it will be best of no one actually sees it."

"Does it have to be on my chest?" Peter asked, curiously. "I mean, I know Tony's is – and I just watched T'Challa activate his from his chest. But is that a rule? Or just convention?"

"Mine's on my chest because it gives me the most important protection as soon as possible," Tony said, looking at T'Challa, who nodded.

"The same."

"So, it could start on my hip, then?" Peter asked, Shuri. "Like if I had it in my jean's pocket? I don't plan on being in any situation where I would need the chest to come up, first…"

She frowned.

"I will consider it. The design is functional, now, but obviously I wanted you here so we could find these problems before I completed the technology."

"And to see Peter _naked_," Tony added, irreverently.

T'Challa shook his head.

"It will activate over his clothing, though, when it is complete?"

"Yes. No matter how many layers he is wearing." She slapped the housing unit, again, and the darkness retreated from Peter's body back into it, reminding him of a reverse oil spill, or something. "You may get dressed, again," she told him, taking the housing back from his chest.

"Did you learn what you needed, then? T'Challa asked.

"I _did_, brother. It will be a fine suit, once it is completed."

"Thanks, Shuri," Peter said, sincerely, reaching for his pants. "It's incredible."

"Not, yet, it is not," she corrected. "But it will be."

"Are you done with him?" Tony asked, also impressed and not bothering to hide it.

"I am."

"Would you care for a refreshment?" T'Challa asked.

Well aware that it was the middle of their night, Tony shook his head, waiting for Peter to finish dressing.

"We'd better get back, thanks. Nutmeg is only guaranteed to be good for thirty seconds at a time, and that clock has already ticked."

He stepped to the side, touching a button on his watch to let Stephen know they were ready. Peter hugged Shuri, hard, trying to thank her for what she was doing for him.

"I'll call you, later, okay?"

"Yes. Give your kitten a kiss for me."

He nodded, just as a portal formed, intriguing both of the Wakandans, who were always impressed when there was even better tech than what they possessed around.

"I will."

They both said goodbye to T'Challa and entered the portal, emerging on the other side in Peter's quarters. The boy noticed, immediately, that in the short time they were gone, Strange had added another cat tree to Nutmeg's steadily growing pile of accessories. The one in his room was almost as big as the one in the lounge.

The kitten launched himself at Tony, but Peter reached up and snagged him in mid motion, catching him, easily and cuddling him to his chest.

"How did it go?" Natasha asked, amused and impressed at the same time.

"Great," Peter said. "The new suit is going to be amazing."

"And Shuri saw him naked," Tony added.

Peter blushed, again.


	158. Chapter 158

"I wasn't _naked_," Peter said, quickly. "I had my underwear on."

"Do we even want to know why?" Strange asked, drolly.

"Because I wasn't going to stand in her lab without-"

"_Not_ why you retained your underwear," Strange interrupted, rolling his eyes, amused. "Why did she need you naked?"

"To make sure of the way the suit is going to form," Tony told him, smiling. "When it's finished, it'll form over his clothes, like mine does. Right _now_, however, the adjustments need to be done with as little on as possible."

"That makes sense, I suppose." Strange looked at the two of them. "Do you need me for anything else, today? Maybe a portal to Hawaii, so you can get some shaved ice? A portal to Seattle for a cup of coffee? Or can I go home and get some work done?"

Stark shook his head.

"I think we're good. Thanks."

"Yeah." Peter's smile proved that he knew Strange wasn't serious about being inconvenienced. "Thanks a lot, Stephen."

"You're welcome."

"And for the cat tree," the boy added, gesturing toward it.

"Well, you need to keep him distracted as much as possible, right?"

"True."

"Cup of coffee, Stephen?" Tony offered.

"No. Not today, thank you. I do have some things to get done. I'll see you all tomorrow – unless something comes up."

The sorcerer vanished, leaving the three of them alone with the kitten.

"I have work to do, too," Natasha said. "I'll see you at dinner, though."

She left, too, and Tony looked at his son.

"So. You have a choice."

"Yeah?"

"Spend the day with your kitten. Or come and work with me in my workroom."

Peter smiled.

"I can't bring him?"

"Are you going to be able to hold him and help me reconfigure the tech that will keep him off the shelves they keep the booze on?"

"I'll bring him a bed to sleep in and he'll fall asleep."

"If he breaks something, you know _you're_ going to have to rebuild it, for me. This includes any of my suits."

"He's a _baby_, dad… he's not going to break an Ironman suit."

Probably.

"Yeah… well… I've seen him in action." Tony felt a surge of cheerfulness at being called dad so readily. God, he loved that boy. Certainly enough to put up with the kitten in order to have his company. "He's like Jack and Nick Furry and every other puppy I've ever heard of, all rolled into one tiny, fuzzy package."

As they were talking, they were already heading for the door. Clearly neither of them were too concerned about having the kitten with them. Really, it was probably better to know exactly where he was, in order to find whatever damage he caused right away, rather than later.

OOOOOOO

"So you were there when Peter left to go to the fire?"

MJ nodded, taking a drink of her soda.

"We were finishing dinner."

"How did he look?"

"He just had that weird _something is happening and I don't know what, but it's serious_ look that made Mr. Stark ask him if he was okay."

"But he wasn't."

"No. He said something was happening and it was _bad_."

"It _was_ bad, MJ," Ned said, looking around and making sure that no one could overhear them. There wasn't anyone around them in the fast food restaurant. "His suit is ruined, I hear. But he saved four lives."

"And could have _died_."

"Nah. He barely got touched. Nothing broken, or even bruised, from what I hear."

"_This_ time. What about next? Don't you _worry_ about him, Ned?"

Ned rolled his eyes.

"He had a building fall on him a while back and came out of the with just a few scratches," he reminded her.

"He got _shot_," she countered. "And would have died if you hadn't kept him from bleeding to death."

"Not because he's _Spiderman_. That was because of Shuri's brother…"

"I just worry about him."

"Well, _don't_. He has all of the Avengers around him, keeping him in one piece. He certainly doesn't need you and me worrying about him, too, and nagging him to be careful. Tony reminds him a million times a day. Besides, until they make him a new suit, he's just Peter Parker, for a while."

"True." She was ready to change the subject. "Did you talk to your mom?"

"Yeah. She said she's fine with it and will help out with whatever we need. What about you?"

"My folks are on board, of course. It's going to be fun. _If_ they let Peter go."

"They'll let him go. Tony won't say no to something like this."

"You think."

"Yeah. My mom said yes. His folks will, too."

"Too bad we can't figure out a way to get Shuri out here for it," MJ added. "That would be fun."

"Yeah, but that probably won't happen. I'm surprised she was allowed to come when they brought Azoru here, really. Having her come back for another trip? Not likely."

MJ shrugged.

"We'll see. Do we have enough in place to bring it up with Peter, yet?"

"Almost. Do you want me to ask him?"

"Yeah. You're out there more often. Bring it up with him, and then you guys can decide how to ask Pepper and Tony."

"I'll do it next time I'm out there."

"Don't screw around and take too long."

"I won't."

OOOOOOOO

"Did you see the paper?"

"Yeah. Of course, I did. Marie's in love with the little punk, now that he's saved her life. If there's even a remote comment about him, she's all over it. Something big like that fire? She'll be following it, close. And since I'm stuck at home in bed for at least another week, or two, _I'll_ be following it, as well."

Alex smiled at the exasperation in his friend's tone, but he was glad that he was feeling better.

"I'm tempted to call Romanoff and check on him – just because it was so serious. But, obviously, we'll need to keep our distance, now. That's an apple cart we don't want to upset, now that we have things squared up."

"Yes, I know. I almost called Stark for the same reason." He scowled. "It's a lot different when you've met and actually talked to the guy behind the mask, isn't it? The superhero isn't quite as invincible, anymore."

"Don't tell Stark that. He'd want to prove to you that he is."

"I wasn't talking about Ironman."

"I know."

"Queens is cleared?"

"Yeah. We're out of there. It wasn't hard – and we'll probably make more money by not being spread out, there. We'll keep the information line, of course – to make sure we know what's going on, everywhere – but we never had a lot of business there. It's just too small time for us. You know that."

"Yeah. We couldn't have helped him with the fire, so we didn't break any deals, there."

"No."

"Marie is loving the idea of starting a foundation for the kid. Some kind of deal to help get more safety features on apartment buildings, or something." He rolled his eyes. "I should have just let her drown; it'll cost me a lot less."

Alex smiled, well aware that his friend didn't mean it. That was a happily married couple, if he'd ever seen one.

"Don't let _her_ hear you say that."

"I'm not crazy enough to do that. Anything I need to know about?"

"Nah. Everything's good, Joel."

"Keep it that way for me, will you, Alex?" King requested, leaning back with a pained expression as his shoulder reminded him that he wasn't even close to being healthy, yet. "I've got enough to worry about, right now."

"I will. I'll talk to you, tomorrow."

"Yeah."


	159. Chapter 159

They were both waiting in the garage when Pepper returned to the compound. She smiled, greeting Tony, first, with a kiss as she handed her bag over to him, and then hugging Peter, who was always willing to allow the affection that she always seemed to want to give him. It worked out well that way.

Of course, both of the men in her life were holding animals, so the hugs were mostly one-handed, but Pepper didn't mind.

"What did you guys do today?" she asked, taking Ironpig from Tony so he'd have a hand free despite carrying her bag for her.

"Went to Wakanda to check the progress of the suit Shuri's making for Peter," Tony reported. "Then worked in my workroom – and then watched Peter _clean_ my workroom."

She frowned, looking over at the boy, who smiled.

"Why would you make _Peter_ clean _your_ workroom?"

"Because I tried to make _Nutmeg_ do it, but he as much as just flipped me off when I suggested it."

"What did your sweet and – I _assume_ – completely innocent kitten do in Tony's workroom?" she asked. "Do I even want to know?"

"Nothing," Peter assured her. "He was framed."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"I had everything laid out, Pep," he said, gesturing one-handed. "Hurricane Nutmeg was sleeping in the new bed I designed for him – self heating and cushy – and next thing I know, he's chasing my diodes and knocking everything to the floor in the pursuit. Including the new repulser I've been working on for my suit. Then he carried off my string level and I had to fight him for it."

"Did he _break_ anything?"

"We still don't know that it wasn't _Ironpig_," Peter protested.

"We have video footage."

"It could have been _doctored_. Friday's pretty good at that, I imagine. Take out the piglet, edit in the sweet and adorable kitten."

Tony turned to his wife.

"Are you _listening_ to this?"

"Yes."

"Believing it?"

"Not at all."

Peter pretended to huff, and he held the kitten up to his face, sticking his nose into the fuzzy chest.

"We know the truth, don't we, little man? Just because you're littler than IP, you're going to be taking the blame for everything… Grandma and grandpa aren't being very nice, are they?"

Tony rolled his eyes, but Pepper was amused and didn't bother to hide it.

"I'm going to go change. We'll meet you – and your innocent sweetheart – in the lounge for dinner."

"Okay."

They parted ways; Tony and Pepper heading for their quarters and Peter going to his to get washed up before eating.

"You realize he just called you _grandma_, right?" Tony pointed out.

"To his _cat_. I can live with that."

OOOOOO

He just reached his quarters when his phone rang. Peter reached up and put Nutmeg on the cat tree's top tier before answering, allowing in the video call

"Hey, Ned."

"_Hey. What are you doing?"_

"Getting ready to meet Tony and Pepper for dinner. You?"

"_Just got home."_

"Yeah? Doing anything interesting?"

"_No. I was hanging out with MJ."_ He realized how that sounded. _"Not that she isn't interesting, but we weren't doing anything interesting. We just had lunch. She showed me the wood carvings that she picked out – and told me that she owes you a goat."_

"She owes me two goats," Peter corrected. "That's what I had to pay for each of the carvings I commissioned."

"_Shuri bought them for you."_

"With _goats_."

"_Seriously?"_

"Yeah. The Jabari don't have any use for money. Only what they can use. It was two goats or a cow."

"_Makes sense, I suppose. You're not with Pepper and Tony?"_

"No. We're going to meet in a while. Why?"

"_Just curious… because… I wanted to tell you a dirty joke and didn't want them to hear it."_

Peter frowned.

"Okay. What is it?"

"_Oh. Um. What does the sign on an out-of-business brothel say?"_

"I'm almost afraid to ask."

"_Beat it, we're closed."_

The boy snorted.

"Funny. _Crude_, but funny."

"_Yeah. Anyway, I need to go. I'll talk to you, later, okay?"_

"Yeah."

The call ended and Peter put his phone in his pocket and reached up just in time to catch his kitten as Nutmeg launched himself off the cat tree to land on Peter.

"You're going to do that to the wrong person, someday," he chided the kitten, with a smile. "And they're going to drop something important and then where will we be? I'll be _apologizing_, that's where."

Nutmeg didn't look at all concerned.

OOOOOOO

Tony was sitting on the edge of their bed, talking to Pepper about her day while watching her change. Ironpig was sitting next to him, and the billionaire was trying to decide what color sweater to put the pig in. Then the phone rang.

He frowned when he saw the caller ID, made sure that Pepper wasn't behind him and brought up the video call.

"Ned? Can I presume you misdialed?"

The teen grinned, and shook his head.

"_Hey, Mr. Stark. No. I wanted to talk to you and Pepper."_

"Oh?" he looked over at Pepper, who was dressed, now, and had heard what the boy had said. She walked over to sit beside him, picking up the piglet and coming closer. "Why does that make me nervous?"

"_Because you're _suspicious_,"_ Ned told him, impertinently, long past the time when he might have been nervous talking to Tony Stark.

"What's going on, Ned?" Pepper asked, curiously. "Are you and Peter plotting something nefarious, and have finally decided to let us in on the plan?"

"_You're half-right,"_ he said with a smile. _"MJ and I are plotting, and thought we'd bring it up with you."_

"Not _Peter_?" Tony asked.

"_Not, yet. Depends on what you say."_

"About what?" Pepper asked.

"_Well… MJ has a cousin who has a beach house up in Seagate. It's not too fancy, but we thought that we might go up for a couple of days. It's just sitting empty."_

"Wait. What?"

"You want to go to the beach?" Tony asked, catching on quicker.

"_Yeah."_

"Who all would be there?"

"_Whoever it takes for you guys to say yes. We thought it would be a fun way to end the summer. It wouldn't have to be a weekend, either. We could go during the week if it was easier. But it's been a pretty busy summer, so far, and a little relaxing on the ocean would be a good way to finish things."_

"Your mom's on board?" Pepper asked.

"_Yeah. So are MJ's folks. We haven't really made any plans, yet, and I didn't ask Peter until I ran it by you, because we didn't want to… you know, get his hopes up, or anything, if you guys didn't want him to go – especially after the birthday trip ended so spectacularly bad."_

"I suppose we don't have to worry about you being snowed in…" Tony said. "This isn't teens _only_, right? You're not planning something that we wouldn't approve of?"

"_Of course not. Like I said, we don't have any details beyond where, so far. Who depends on what we need to do to make it so you'll let Peter come."_

Pepper smiled.

"I think it sounds like something doable."

"_Yeah?"_

"Provided we can ensure adult supervision and security," Tony said, shrugging.

"_Want to come?"_ Ned asked.

"Yeah?"

Now it was Ned's turn to shrug.

"_I told my mom that you'd probably want to. I assume Tony Stark would be considered adult supervision."_

"That's assuming a _lot_," Pepper said, archly, making both of the others smile.

"Get me more details," Tony told the boy. "Where it is and who you want to invite. Pepper can talk to the others and hammer out the details."

"_Okay. Is it safe to tell Peter about it, then?"_

"Yes. Tomorrow, though Or later tonight. We're getting ready to eat."

"_Okay. Thanks."_

The call ended and Pepper looked at her husband.

"_Pepper will hammer out the details?"_

"Do you really trust _me_ to do it?" he asked her, pointedly.

"No. I suppose not."


	160. Chapter 160

_A/N: Little holiday for the 4__th__, and a couple of doctor appointments for the 5__th__. The new leg is fitting well, just for an update for you all. Back to work soon, I think, now that I am learning to use it._

OOOOOOO

_"So, can we get Dr. Strange to give us a portal, again?"_

Peter looked over at Stephen, who was playing cards with Natasha, Tony and Pepper.

"Probably. Do we come to you? Or do you want to come here?"

_"I want to go there, but I need to do the final test in my lab, so you will need to come to me."_

The boy nodded, handing Nutmeg to Ned, who was already holding Ironpig, so his friend could keep the kitten from running up the cat tree and launching himself into the middle of the card game – _again_. Then he stretched his hand out and shot a line of webbing expertly toward Tony, snatching the pencil that was sitting on the scorecard from the table and snapping his wrist so it ended up in his hand.

Tony looked up, rolling his eyes.

"You _could_ clear your throat like a normal human being…"

"I didn't want to interrupt if you were concentrating," Peter told him, his smile telling them all that he wasn't really sorry. "Shuri says the suit's ready."

"So soon?" Pepper asked, obviously impressed.

"Karen went online in Wakanda, yesterday," Tony said. "I knew she must have been getting close. I assume she wants you in her lab for final check?"

"Yes."

"Can I come?" Ned asked, hopefully, looking at Tony and then at the display where Shuri was watching. "_Please_?"

"When does she want us there?"

Knowing that the princess had heard the question, Peter looked at Shuri, who shrugged.

_"I am free right now – and T'Challa is close at hand."_

"She says she's free, right now."

Peter couldn't really hide his excitement. Yes, he and Tony had completed his new suit in the traditional colors just that morning – it hadn't taken more than a day, really, since it was a replacement and not a completely new concept like the one Shuri was making. The two of them had thoroughly checked all the safety features and made sure that it was good to go, and then Peter had jumped himself to the safehouse to put it in the hidden bathroom locker so it would be ready the next time it was needed.

Of course, now, it might be a while. If the new suit was so much more readily available, Peter would only wear the traditional one when there was a reason to use it.

Tony looked at Pepper, and then at Stephen.

"Well?"

Pepper smiled, because she hadn't missed the excitement in Peter's expression. There was no way she was going to say no. Obviously.

Strange rolled his eyes, amused, and looked at Natasha.

"You'll notice the suit just _happened_ to get finished when we were _winning_…"

"Yes," Tony said. "Because the princess of Wakanda and I have a mutual aid treaty. I get behind in a card game, she comes up with a distraction. She needs a diversion for T'Challa, I toss her some code tidbits."

Shuri smiled at that.

_"Well?"_

"If Stephen is willing…" Tony said.

"I'm invited?"

_"Of course,"_ Shuri said, not waiting for anyone to relay the question since she'd heard it just fine. _"Ned, as well."_

"Sweet!"

With a piglet in one hand and the kitten in the other, the teen stood up, excited.

"We'll be right there," Tony said.

Peter looked at Shuri and shrugged.

"I'll see you in a minute."

The call ended and Peter took Nutmeg from Ned and set him up on the cat tree, while Tony took Ironpig and simply tucked him under his arm, sweater and all.

"You're taking the _pig_?" Strange asked.

"He's _from_ Wakanda, Stephen." Tony pointed out. "Did it occur to you that he might be homesick?"

"It occurred to me that he would make some delicious chops…"

Pepper snorted, and Tony feigned looking shocked, covering Ironpig's ears.

"Don't listen to him," Stark crooned to the pig. "You would make tiny, little, chops. Not even worth the effort."

Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Field trip to Wakanda?"

She was interested in seeing the new suit, really, and would like a demonstration of what it could do directly from Shuri, since she was the one who made it. Not that Tony didn't understand the tech, of course, but this was Shuri's baby. Who better to demonstrate it?

"Not from here, though," Stephen said, looking around the lounge. "We'll go to Peter's room and go from there."

There were too many people in the lounge, and too many chances of something going wrong.

No one even argued.

OOOOOOOO

Shuri was standing by T'Challa when the portal formed in the middle of her lab.

"We must get the tech for that, brother," she complained, hating that there was something so convenient and amazing out there that she didn't have access to.

"I am not the one to ask. Did you talk to Dr. Strange?"

The girl rolled her eyes.

"He said it is proprietary and that he cannot share it Not even with me, although he said he would have trusted me with the knowledge."

"Then it is tech we do not have, yet. I assume you are working on figuring it out?"

"Of course. It's just taking long than I anticipated. Now that I have completed Peter's suit, I will have more time to work on it."

Before T'Challa could reply, people began emerging from the portal. The young king wasn't surprised that Tony arrived, first, even though they weren't going to be someplace dangerous. It was probably second nature for the man to make sure he knew what situation the others were heading into. He smiled at his friend, rolling his eyes at the fact that the pig tucked under his arm appeared to be wearing a sweater, and then was pleased to see that Pepper had decided to come, as well. He moved forward to greet her, even as Natasha, Peter and Peter's friend Ned emerged – and finally, Dr. Strange, who nodded a greeting before making a gesture that closed the portal.

"Welcome to Wakanda, Ned," Shuri said, smiling.

"Thanks." The boy was looking around with interest. "This place is amazing, Shuri. What kind of 3D display resolution do you have here? Is there an Ai, like Mr. Stark has? Can you use virtual reality for-"

"Ned…"

It was Tony who reined the boy's questions in, and Ned grinned, sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"No need to be," she assured him. "Let me finish with Peter, and then I will show you around, if there is time."

"Great. Thanks."

She greeted the others, happily, crooning a hello to Ironpig, and then turned her attention to Peter.

"You did not bring _Nutmeg_?"

"No."

"He's a little menace," Ned said, helpfully, still looking around, probably filing his inspection away in his brain for later consideration. "Dr. Strange and Wong got him these cat trees, and there's one in the lounge and one in Peter's living room and he likes to wait at the top of it and then attack people who walk by."

"That sounds like a very cat-thing to do," Shuri said, smiling.

"It is," Peter said. "But he likes to knock things off shelves, too. And you have a lot of things that are probably breakable."

"Can I offer any of you a refreshment?" T'Challa asked, gesturing to a table that had been set up and laden with drinks of all kinds as well as fruit, pastries and other Wakandan delicacies. "I realize you haven't actually travelled all that long, despite the distance covered, but it is still tradition to have a bite when visiting."

"We accept," Pepper said, moving to the table. None of them were hungry, of course, but it was tradition to offer, and a courtesy to accept, she knew. "Thank you."

Before getting to the business at hand, there was time to have a piece of cake, or a cup of coffee, at least.

"Wow," Ned said, looking at the assortment of foods and delicacies and hoping to find something that was uniquely Wakandan. He could have pie at home, after all. "Any water buffalo? Or zebra?"

Tony rolled his eyes, but T'Challa simply smiled.

"Not at the moment." The young king smiled, glancing at the piglet in Tony's arm.

"There is _ham_, however…"

Stark covered Ironpig's floppy ears, and Peter wasn't the only one to smile at the gesture.


	161. Chapter 161

"It's about the same size as the polymorph you made him, isn't it?" Ned asked, looking at the nanotech housing unit for Peter's new suit.

"Yes. And about as heavy," Shuri told him, handing it over to her friend.

"So the whole suit is in the box?" Pepper asked, watching as Ned hefted the casing in his hand.

"The nanobots that will form the suit are, yes."

"Show her, Peter," Tony suggested. "It's easier than explaining." He winked at his wife. "It's very similar to my suit, so of course it's incredibly impressive."

She rolled her eyes, but turned her attention to Peter, who took the housing unit from Ned.

"Does it need to be anywhere in particular?" he asked Shuri.

"No. But it should not be held in your hand – and it should always be placed in the same spot. I think your hip might be better than your pocket. It can be designed to stick against your skin. That would only take a minute to set, permanently."

She walked over to Peter and lifted his t-shirt a little, and pointed to a spot just below and to the right of his belly button, above the waist-line of his jeans.

"It won't come off?" Peter asked.

"It is not _permanent_," she assured him. "But it would require a you to pull it very hard. Like Tony's, it will require a good amount of pressure in order for it to detach. To avoid it happening, accidentally."

"We can use the same compound I use for mine," Tony agreed, approving of the site. "It could still be fairly well hidden, under your shirt, and right there to be activated if you need it quickly."

"You could always say it's an insulin pump, if someone saw it and asked," Ned added, with a shrug.

"True."

"Stick it on and give it a try," T'Challa suggested. "I want to see what my sister's time and effort these many days has accomplished."

Peter pressed the casing against his skin and then looked at Shuri.

"Tap it," she told him. "It will only activate for you. Someone cannot activate it by tapping it for you, nor can they hit you and accidentally set it off."

"Smooth," Tony approved, eliciting a pleased smile from the girl.

Peter did what he was told, tapping the center of the casing – which was a very indistinct spider logo. A moment later, the suit formed around him, emitting from the housing and running along his body like a black shadow, covering him – and his clothing – from the waist down and from the waist up with equal swiftness, until he was entirely engulfed in it.

"_Coming online,"_ a voice said in Peter's ear as the mask of the suit formed, blocking the others from seeing him, although there were eye holes to see out of – and sensor readouts in the form of a heads-up display were immediate. _"Hello, Peter."_

"Karen?"

"Correct. Running diagnostics."

He watched as one display started running scans of the suit's programs. Another display showed him everyone around him, giving him instant information about each, and identifying them with facial recognition – although it came up blank when attempting to scan Natasha that way. Since the system was familiar with her, Karen just automatically added in the identification of the spy as a matter of form.

"You okay in there?" Tony asked.

Peter nodded, tapping the side of his head, which made the mask dissolve as the nanobots that formed it followed the command to retreat.

"This is _amazing_," he said, truly impressed and unable to hide his excitement.

Shuri flushed, pleased that he was so happy.

"It will take some getting used to," she reminded him. "I would suggest you spend some time practicing with activating it, and getting to learn the systems and programs that are available to you."

"Karen's online," Peter said, nodding. "She can send all that info into the system in my quarters. It's amazing, Shuri," he said, again, hugging her spontaneously. "Thank you, so much."

"Thank you for saving my life," the princess told him, smiling, and returning his hug, even though he still had the rest of the suit on and couldn't feel her grip that well. "Shall we try some of the properties while we have you safely in a test environment?"

He pulled away.

"Like what?"

"We're not shooting him, to test if it's bulletproof," Tony reminded the girl.

"We do not have to," she said. "I tested that several days ago." She picked up a piece of wooden dowling – similar to a broom, or mop, handle. "Someone hit him with this."

Ned was quick to grab it.

"Ready, Peter?"

"Put the mask back on," Pepper said, quickly. "Not that I don't trust you, Ned, but let's not leave such an easy target so vulnerable."

Peter activated the mask, again, and a moment later he saw Ned raise the stick and slap it down against the side of the suit. The sensors notified him of the impact, but Peter didn't feel a thing. Even when Ned it again – several times, grinning.

"That's awesome," the boy said. "When are you going to make me one, Shuri?"

"Supply the Vibranium and develop the AI to be used in the system and I would be happy to, Ned," she told him with a smile.

Ned rolled his eyes, but didn't look too discouraged by her requirements.

"Peter has a vibranium mine, right?" he said, looking at Pepper and Tony. "I'll spend winter break here, in Wakanda, with a pick and a shovel…"

Peter deactivated his mask.

"If I let you into my mine, then I'll have to let everyone in…"

"I'm your best friend."

"True."

T'Challa smiled.

"We shall see. The suit looks very impressive, Shuri."

She nodded.

"It is, yes. I think it will work, nicely. But if you have any questions you can – and should – call me, immediately. It would be safer to ask me than to try and figure it out, for yourself."

"I can take it home?" Peter asked, surprised.

"It will not do you any good if it is in my lab, now will it?"

He blushed.

"I meant; I didn't think it was ready."

"It is. But be careful. It will protect you better than your former suit, but it is not going to make you invulnerable. You must still use caution."

"I second that," Tony agreed. "You don't go out in it until you're familiar with it. Practice at home, first."

"Please," Pepper added, looking just a little worried – despite the impressive showing.

"Of course." Peter tapped the casing, and the entire suit retracted back into it, leaving him once more in just jeans and a t-shirt. "It's remarkable."

"Is the position comfortable for you?" Tony asked. "You can't really even tell that it's there with your shirt covering it like that."

"Yeah. I think it'll be fine where it is."

"Then we'll work on making that more permanent, like mine."

"The suit was really cool-looking, too," Ned added. "With the black, but the vaguest tones of gray like it had. I thought you couldn't dye vibranium?"

"You cannot. It is two different types of the same ore," T'Challa replied before Shuri could. "One is refined, differently, which leaves it a lighter shade; still black, but light enough to fool the mind into thinking it is gray."

"It's impressive," Natasha said, clearly approving of anything that would protect Peter better. Especially after the fire scare that they'd all had. "A present like that certainly warrants a little bit of a holiday."

Tony smiled, looking over at T'Challa, who nodded.

"Agreed."

"What are you talking about, brother?" Shuri asked, curiously.

"Tony informed me that before school starts for Peter and his friends, they are going to spend some time at a house on the beach – to relax. He asked if you could be invited to join them, and I am willing to allow it – if you are interested, and of course, provided that you adhere to the security that he will put into place."

Her face lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes."

The princess hugged her brother.

"When will this happen?"

"It's a couple of weeks, still," Tony told her. "We're still vetting the place, and the neighbors, to make sure there aren't any surprises. Don't make any plans for late August, okay?"

"Thank you."

"Thank _you_," Peter said, hugging her, again. "The suit is wonderful. And so are you."


	162. Chapter 162

"_Peter Benjamin Parker_, I swear, if you do that _one more time_, I'm going to send you to your room."

Peter smiled, not at all chastised by Pepper's annoyed look – mainly because she was smiling, also.

"To my room that has all my cool things in it…?"

"You're pushing your luck, son," Tony murmured, hiding his own amusement behind a sip of his coffee – although his eyes told them both how he felt.

"I'm _supposed_ to be getting used to activating the suit, mom," he reminded her, his eyes and expression so cheerful that she wanted to hug him – _and_ thump him. "Until it's second nature."

"Not while I'm _talking_ to you, though," Pepper said. "It's _very_ hard to focus on the conversation at hand when your face keeps vanishing behind the mask."

"I'm sorry."

It was a _very_ cool suit, though, and while he hadn't actually taken it out for an actual try in the city, yet, he was familiarizing himself with the activation process and he and Karen were slowly getting used to all of the different capabilities that the thing possessed.

"So, we're really thinking just MJ, Ned, Shuri and you at the beach house?" Tony asked. "We checked the place out, and there is room for a few more. The rooms have bunk beds."

"_You_ can invite someone, if you want," Peter said. "Stephen and Natasha have already declined, saying that it's a teenager's party and they weren't interested in crashing it."

"Yes, Stephen told me the same thing," Tony confirmed. "There aren't any other kids at school you guys want to have come? Or MJ's cousin? It's her place, after all."

"She told MJ that she's going to be in France. Otherwise she'd come just for a chance to meet you."

Which made Tony roll his eyes, more or less glad that she _wasn't_ coming, then.

"Then we can keep it low key. Your mom and me as adult chaperones and unseen security lurking next door – just in case."

"That's _it_?"

Tony looked at Pepper.

"Would that be enough for your peace of mind?"

"I'd say so. It's only the four of them, after all, and they're not troublemakers."

"Even better; everyone there knows Peter is Spiderman and that frees him up to act in case something comes up."

The boy nodded.

"Only if you're _needed_," Pepper added, quickly. "Otherwise, leave it to Tony."

"The neighbors all check out," Tony said. "Natasha's people have been all over them – without them knowing, of course. One side is a writer, and the other is a politician – who won't be there, because SHIELD is going to borrow his place to run security for us. They're going to be the unseen people, in this case."

Peter nodded, again.

"Do you want everyone to come here for a pre-trip briefing?" he asked.

"No." Tony looked at Pepper. "The kids all know what will be expected of them. We shouldn't need to tell them, again. Agreed?"

She nodded her own agreement.

"I don't see why we would need to, no. I'd like to check the place out, though, before we go there. To know what we need to bring."

"MJ says we can have the keys anytime; it's vacant, already. She also said that if you have any questions you can call her – if she can't answer it, her mom or dad can."

"And supplies?" Pepper asked.

Peter shrugged.

"She'd know what's there, already. We'll have to bring food."

"Alright, I'll bring it up with her folks when I talk to them, tomorrow. Let's change the subject to this foundation idea…"

Peter suddenly reached his hand up, catching Nutmeg in mid-launch and then pulling the kitten up against his chest to cuddle him. The kitten seemed to thoroughly enjoy jumping from his cat tree into the middle of whatever was going on at the tables within his range. Usually it was jigsaw puzzles or card games. Peter always felt the launch coming and managed to catch him – Natasha was usually able to catch him, too – but everyone else would end up trying to catch him before he escaped back to his tree to keep there from being a repeat of the attack.

Tony shook his head.

"He's going to grow out of that, right?"

"We'll ask the vet, tomorrow," Pepper said. "Now… Marie King has been vocal about her willingness to handle setting up a Spiderman Foundation – using funds that have been pouring in after the fire. All she needs is the go ahead, and maybe a little endorsement from Spiderman, himself, to get it started."

"You realize she's a mobster's wife…" Tony reminded her.

"I'm aware of who she's married to, yes. But on the _books_, her husband is a very well-respected businessman. I imagine she'll be careful to make sure the foundation is well managed. Besides, I'm the other option – being the wife to an actual _superhero_ – and I am already as busy as I want to be."

"Yeah, I don't want _you_ to have to run it," Peter said, quickly, scratching Nutmeg's chin. "She'd be my choice. As long as there is a committee or something to keep her from having complete control."

"I'll pass that on. There'll be a bit of a clash when it comes to who the Foundation will be geared toward – unless Spiderman comes out with a particular group of people he wants it to focus on."

"Orphans?"

Pepper's expression was soft as she nodded. The boy had enjoyed spending time with the kids in Wakanda, and had already sent several packages of gifts and toys off to those same kids. An entire foundation that could do that for him? It definitely appealed to Peter, and Pepper and Tony, as well.

"We'll put a bug in the right ear, and I'll let you know when Spiderman needs to make an appearance."

"In his traditional colors," Tony suggested.

"Yes."

The black suit was amazing, and would probably help Peter blend into the dark of the night a lot easier, but people were used to seeing Spiderman in his red and blue. It would take a while for them to accept the change of colors – if they ever did.

"Anything else we need to discuss?" Tony asked both of them, reaching over and taking Nutmeg from Peter and burying his face into the fuzzy belly, which most cats hated, but Nutmeg never struggled to get away from. "If not, I'm going to take your kitten and modify the chip on his collar before his vet appointment, tomorrow."

"Then I'll go practice with my suit." He looked at Pepper. "Unless you'd like to spend some time with me?" he added, hopefully. "Movie? Chess?"

Her expression softened, again.

"Movie? Daddy can join us when he's done playing."

Tony smiled at her calling him daddy, when Peter very rarely did so. And only when the toddler was in control – when Peter was very tired, or distracted enough that he was susceptible to the little guy.

"That sounds like a great idea." They really didn't get enough quiet, family time, as far as the billionaire was concerned. "I'll meet you both in our quarters when I'm done."

"Don't be long," Pepper said, standing up. "Or we'll eat all the popcorn."

"It won't take long."


	163. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

OOOOOO

"Peter? Shuri? Wake up, guys, we're home…"

He could have just picked the boy up and carried him to his bed, but Tony knew that his son wasn't really _that_ tired. He and Shuri had just dozed off because it had been a long drive and a long weekend. Sure enough, in the rearview mirror, he saw Peter open his eyes and lift his head, looking around him just as they turned the truck into the compound's main gate. Shuri was stirring, as well, but she hadn't opened her eyes, yet.

"I fell asleep?"

Pepper smiled over her shoulder at him, resisting the urge to reach back and push his bangs out of his eyes. He was going to have to have a haircut before school started, really. Unless _long-haired hippie_ was a new look that he was going for – which she doubted.

"You _did_. Was the conversation really that boring?"

He shrugged, stretching and yawning.

"I don't remember what we were talking about."

"I fell asleep during the discussion on the pros and cons of getting a beach house," Shuri said, sitting up, now. "I definitely think you _should_ get one – and I should be invited to visit, all the time."

Tony smiled.

"You're welcomed here whenever you can come, honey; you _know_ that."

The girl smiled at being addressed so informally and familiarly. Not very many people – actually, _no one_ – would dare call her that back home. Well, _T'Challa_ would, but that would sound gross coming from him. He was her brother, after all. From Tony it was a paternal vibe, and she felt warm knowing that he was comfortable enough around her to do so.

"Thank you, Tony."

Pepper smiled at the girl, too, before turning back and watching as the garage door opened to allow them access to the parking area.

Stephen and Natasha were waiting for the truck when it pulled into the garage. Tony smiled when he saw that the doctor was holding Ironpig under his arm, and Romanoff had Nutmeg in her hand, tucked against her collarbone.

"There's my boy," Stark said, getting out from behind the wheel of the truck and reaching for his pig.

"I thought _I_ was his boy?" Peter said, pretending to be hurt, as he got out of the truck, as well.

Pepper chuckled, putting an arm around him, relaxed and cheerful and all the better for having had an entire weekend to spend with him and his friends doing nothing but lounging around enjoying the sun, sand and surf.

"Never doubt it for a minute," she murmured into his ear, brushing a kiss against his cheek.

The boy grinned, sliding his arm around her waist as they joined Shuri and Tony in greeting Strange and Natasha. The girl took the kitten from Romanoff, crooning him and cuddling him, as the doctor turned his attention to Tony.

"You _really_ made it through the entire weekend without anything happening?"

"Plenty of things happened, Stephen," Tony corrected him. "We flew the kites that Ned and Peter designed. We spent some time on the beach soaking up sun and Pepper and I even tried boogie boarding."

"You know what I meant. No catastrophes?" He made a show of looking Peter over, carefully, for bruises or scrapes and affected shock that all he found was a bit of a sunburn. "No calamities? How many times did you activate the Ironman suit to save Peter from a shark trying to eat him?"

Peter wasn't the only one to smile, but Tony was the one who answered.

"No sharks. Although the woman in the property beside the one we were in _did_ have a poodle who was very aggressive in her pursuit of _Peter cuddling_."

"Is that a real thing?" Strange asked.

"Peter is _very_ cuddly," Pepper confirmed – and Natasha nodded her agreement. "You should try it sometime, Stephen. It's almost _therapeutic_."

The boy rolled his eyes.

"I'll unload the truck," he offered.

"I'll help you," Natasha said, since she didn't have the kitten in her arms, anymore, and she wanted to hear how the weekend had gone.

"Hand over Shuri's things," Tony ordered, returning his pig to Stephen, and waiting for Peter to go to the back of the truck and hop into the bed to hand over a backpack and a small soft-edged suitcase. "We'll meet you guys in the lounge."

The others left them, and Natasha walked to the back of the truck. There wasn't really that much to unload; four bags with clothes and toiletries for the weekend didn't really take up that much space, and each of them had brought a backpack for their electronics or books. That was it. Now they only had three of each.

"Did you have a good time?" she asked, as Peter handed her his backpack and bag, and then loaded himself up with everyone else's. They could stop at his room, first, and drop his stuff off, before swinging through to carry Tony and Pepper's things to their room. "I have to admit; Stephen wasn't the only one expecting a call…"

He laughed, knowing that she was only half-teasing. She, of course, would have stayed in contact with the security team that had been in the beach house next to their own and would have known immediately if anything had happened. He knew that. He pretty much counted on it, really – and knew Tony did, too.

"It was a lot of fun. We did a bonfire on the beach last night. Ned almost lost his eyebrows when he lit it."

"I thought we agreed to keep him away from matches?"

Peter shrugged, putting Tony's backpack over his shoulder as they walked out of the garage.

"I guess Tony figured that he was adult supervision enough to chance it."

"What else did you do?"

"Played volleyball, played in the water a little – not _too_ much, though; I think Tony really _was_ worried that a shark would try to eat me. Or maybe an aggressive jellyfish, or something, and then Stephen would be able to say _I told you so_ when he had to come home and admit it."

"A fate worse than death."

"Yeah. We spent some time at night playing chess and goofing off, but nothing too profound, really. Mainly Ned and MJ asked Shuri about Wakanda until she probably felt like she was on the tourism bureau committee."

"She'll have to invite them out for a real visit, sometime."

He nodded.

"She _did_. Over Spring break. That'll give them plenty of time to talk their parents into it. Especially since none of them have heard of it up until a few months ago."

"Are you planning on going?"

He shrugged.

"Probably. Gotta check on my baby zebra, after all."

They reached his quarters and Natasha dropped his bags on the sofa and the took a bag from him as they headed for Tony and Pepper's, now.

"He won't be such a baby, by then."

Peter nodded.

"I know. How about you guys? Did you have a good weekend?"

"We did. It was quiet around here without you, but Nutmeg seemed determined to make as much mischief as he could to make up for you being gone."

"Was he bad?"

"What do _you_ think?"

"I think he's an alien in the form of a tiny, cute kitten," Peter told her. "Nothing can be as crazy as he is. Jack wasn't even as bad when he was little."

"He _was_," she corrected. "We just don't remember it, now that he's over the worst of it. Your little guy will mellow out a bit when he gets older, too, I imagine."

"Maybe." Not too much, though, Peter hoped. He was definitely fun to have around. "I missed him."

"_Just_ him?"

He hugged her, despite all the bags they were carrying.

"You know I missed you."

Natasha brushed a kiss against his cheek before letting him go so they could continue their walk.

"I missed you, too. What's the plan for the rest of the day?"

"Lunch," he said, quickly. "We had a snack before we left the beach house, but then we dropped Ned off, and MJ, and came home, so I could definitely eat. Then I think Tony will have Stephen open a portal to let Shuri get home before T'Challa can worry that we're going to keep her. After that, I'm all yours, if you have something you need help with – or want to do."

"I think we can come up with something interesting to do with the rest of our day."

Peter agreed, completely. It was the _Avengers_, after all. There was very rarely a dull moment with them around.

"Yeah."

They dropped the remaining luggage just inside the door to Tony and Pepper's rooms and Romanoff slid an arm around the boy, hugging him close as they headed to the lounge.

"Maybe we'll see if we can talk Stephen and Tony into playing Spoons before we send Shuri home. Then she can teach the Wakandans how to play, too…"

Peter smiled.

"The Jabari would probably love it."

**The END**

_A/N: So! They're safely married and home from the honeymoon – and then some. Everything I wanted to accomplish with this story is done, so it was time to end it. I appreciate you all reading it. Watch for the next one to start up in the next day or so… you know I don't make you wait long in between stories. I hope you liked this one!_


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